Mark Smith's Bob Graham Round Blog

The party's over.

2007-10-14T07:22:00.000-07:00

It was the BGR dinner last night, and Alison and I are now hungover and knackered. It was a late finish, crawling up from the bar and into bed at about 3am. It was a superb evening - with plenty of ale, dancing and catching up. The certificate is already framed and up in the house!

Selwyn Wright, the BGR club chairman, did a great job in putting the round into some sort of historical context. He also superbly summarised the effortthe BGR needs, as well as highlighting the sacrifice of those with whom you share your life. He managed to make the BGR maintain its daunting aspect, despite the fact we'd all done it. I was worried that a room full of BGR'ers would somehow belittle the achievement, but not a bit of it. The atmosphere was convivial, appreciative, well humoured and friendly with not a hint of elitism. The guy who got round in 23:55 got a bigger cheer than the guy who made it round in 17 hours. We all knew that the 23:55 guy would have been pushing to the wire whereas most of the rest of us would have known it was in the bag for varying amounts of time. I loved that reaction.

It was great to see Simon Neville again (and Gerti and Barbara of course!). Simon's round was the single best training and learning session i did before doing my own 5 weeks later. He showed mental strength, control and judgement when making up the time he lost to Wasdale. I admire him for that and it was a pleasure to share in the experience again. It was also a great chance to discuss his amazing prepartion, specifically his tower-block training regime - bourne from the fact he lives in London and does not have Moel Famau on his doorstep.

It just goes to show - where there's a will, there's a hill.

Simon's networking skills were also a joy to behold - here's a guy that lives down south but knew far more people in the room than I. I have encountered a number of people at races since the BGR who i promised i would catch up with at the meal, but couldn't remember any of them from Adam (apart from Geoff Briggs, who it's always a pleasure to see). One slight thing I thought would have been better for me was if i knew more people.

But next time, in 2009, i will. Dave Sykes, Paul Miller, Pete Taylor and Jamie Dowdall will have all got round by then (of that i have no doubt) and i'll be there to celebrate with them. I can;t wait for that. I was a touch jealous of the Maccs, Dark Peaks and Keswicks of this world who have BGRers a plenty to make up a real party at this event. What it would be for Tattenhall to join that clan...

But we had a great time. The ceilidh was superb and we really got stuck in. It was good to fleetingly meet the legend that is Fred Rogerson too - a dignified and revered presence for sure. It was such a pleasure to drink in the atmosphere of pride and celebration.

Enough time and reflection has now passed for my BGR to settle in and for the dinner to draw a line under it. In doing so though, I felt such immense pride. It was good to be able to show my gratitude to Alison for her support by dancing all night and getting all the drinks in (two things i generally avoid doing). It was a perfect way to close the experience off.

It's been hard to let go, and I've had a number of false starts in trying to do so. It's almost been like mourning. I'll never forget it, but now the focus is forward. Forward to supporting other attempts, forward to getting faster and fitter for racing rather than rounds and forward to deciding upon life's next big challenge.

This will be the last entry to this blog. It's been a terrific source of therapy for me and a means of getting some good advice (as well as some unexpected and very much appreciated support and compliments, including from strangers at last night's dinner!). I would recommend writing a blog to anyone who is building up to any kind of event. It provides a great souveneir, but also helps you to learn as you prepare. It is also a motivating factor - knowing you will write it on a Monday meant you had another reason for getting out during the previous week.

More than anything else though, it helps you make the most of the whole experience, which is something that i didn't think this blog would do when i set about writing it.

Thanks to everyone who has read this. I hope you enjoyed it or at least found some of it useful.

Mark

Time to move on

2007-09-21T04:58:00.000-07:00

Three months ago tomorrow I had the most memorable day of my life. Unlike when I got married, when the day passed with such a blur, the BGR seems etched in such detail on my mind. Straight afterwards, the memories of it were random flashes of the event. Now, it all seems to have slotted into perspective and I can remember it all so vividly. It feels like I'm over it now and I am content in a job well done. Physically also, I feel recovered.

I did not manage the post BGR weeks so well. I tried to take advantage of the fitness I had so painstakingly built. However, all I could manage was a summer of very indifferent and tired running. It was clear that, as Ian Lancaster said to me during the BGR, I'd reached a point where all I was good at was doing big rounds. Borrowdale and Sedbergh were OK, but not so great, nothing like the shift in performance year on year as I saw at the Three Peaks in April. I had some very poor runs on short races and still lack the basic speed I had during the spring.

A month ago I was in serious danger of ceasing to enjoy running. Dave Knott, erstwhile coach and mentor, said I was burnt out and likened my gloomy frame of mind to grieving - with the BGR being the departed soul! He was right.

So, I decided to cut down to 2 or 3 runs a week and stop coaching at the club. I also decided to do some new events to keep things interesting. This has worked and I feel much better. By running once or twice during the week and once at the weekend, I'm not racing tired, preoccupied with how worn out I am, nor am I concerned about how fit I am. It's great! I have lost some fitness, but am still OK. I have done the Lakeland Mountain Trial and the splendid 30 mile Open to Offas under no pressure and have really enjoyed broadening my horizons a bit.

This last month of pressure free, enjoyment filled running has been the tonic I needed to respectfully put the BGR to bed. Next month's BGR dinner will close it off completely, and I'll be able to move onto the next challenge.

It's becoming clear to me that the BGR taught me things about myself beyond my abilities and limitations as a runner. I learned about how I like to live my life. I was never happier than during those months when I was training hard, getting stronger and focussing on a goal. Without it, I’ve simply existed hand to mouth. Work is not a sufficient replacement. I find my job frustrating and hard work, but not especially challenging. I’ve been thinking about a career change, but deep down I know that is not the answer. Provided that work pays me enough and keeps me interested and secure, I need to develop my non-work life by adding a goal. I'd like to replicate that feeling I had all through the spring and early summer.

But what to do next?

There is an obvious choice - Paddy Buckley.

Another 24 hour round! This time closer to home so easier to train and recce. Also, I would love to be able to claim all three classic rounds (the other being the Scottish Ramsey). I also believe the BGR will provide good experience and confidence. I also like this idea because it will be more of a discovery trip. I always knew the BGR fells well, but not so with Snowdonia. What better way to get to know these hills than to do the PBR? Alison would need some convincing, but I now know that I can use the Tattenhall railway and Moel Famau to get the '000's feet of climbing in during the week without too much disruption at home. Additionally, the Welsh hills are so much closer, so I can do some big days out without having to stay away overnight. Also, it's clear that I am happier when doing something like this, rather than a moody arse. She'll go for that I’m sure. OK I’m not sure!

There are also less obvious choices but are not necessarily less appealing...

Sub 3 hour marathon. I know, road running. However, i;ve been reasonably close. I like the feeling of speed you get when training for a road run. It's real contrast to what I’ve been doing. I liked the discipline of training for a marathon more than I thought I would. Homewise, this is also less disruptive. It's worth thinking about and would be a real feather in my cap. It is motivating enough and would slot well into a winter on the roads.

Perhaps I could go for a sub 3, and then move into a Paddy Buckley?!

Other ideas I’ve had focus on deriving new challenges, such as running the Antonine Wall in Scotland or a solo tilt at the Welsh Castles, but I wouldn’t mind getting some of the established challenges under my belt first, otherwise I'll just be itching to do them.

I've also thought about creating a new round, perhaps destined to become a classic alongside the Ramsey, Paddy Buckley and Bob Graham. Something in the Peak District or Yorkshire Dales could surely be worked out that has 60-odd miles and 25,000+ feet ascent? Not sure the Mark Smith round sounds catchy enough, so I might have to change my name if i do this. Oh, the vanity!

I'll decide for sure what's next after the BGR dinner, but now it's enough to recognise that I now find myself looking towards the future more often than I look back to the BGR. That tells me for sure that it is time to move on.

Postscript - Recovery and Reflection

2007-07-27T01:05:00.001-07:00

A month has passed and it's only now that I feel sufficiently removed from the BGR to be able to adequately reflect on it. Up to now, the round has been replaying itself at random times and in random sequence, all in a surprising amount of detail. I often recall that wet and tough leg 4 - Nick, Steve and Sarah helping me into my waterproof trousers on Scoat Fell, Rich and Greg handing me cups of tea at Black Sail and going wrong on Pillar. I remember in detail both the excitement and tenderness of Alison, Liz and Cath during the road stops and the bewilderment on the faces of Rowly and Grez - two of my best and most longstanding friends who aren't fellrunners and have never seen me like this. Grez's face at Honister was more of a picture than mine. I still shudder with excitement when I remember how good I felt on leg one - how alive I felt. Romping down Blencathra in that sunset feeling the way I did was me at my absolute prime. I also recall those closing miles with embarrassment now. How can I have been so tetchy with people I think so much of?! Dale Head, Hindscarth and Robinson on leg five felt like a party was going on all around me. Leg 2 comes alive as a really fun leg with easy and relaxed company. Leg 3 immediately recoils thoughts of being in safe and expert hands.

Lately, I've found thinking about the whole thing as an event a bit easier. More than anything, I feel very content. I loved having this as a goal in my life and part of me is sad that it is gone, but a greater part of me is very relaxed and at ease. It's a great source of confidence that I know I can rise to challenges that previously seemed insurmountable and the preserve of other, stronger, more talented people.

I've been really keen to run, surprisingly. 8 days after then BGR I ran the Llyn Alwen trail race - a nice, undulating 11km run. I finished a creditable 24th from about 150 runners - I was amazed I could run at all! We went off to Crete for a week where I did no exercise apart from a couple of easy walks. After that, I ran regularly with the club. I was miles off the pace during speedwork and took ages to recover in the third week after the BGR. The following week I ran the Green Green Grass of home, 6 mile/1600' local fell race where I did much of my training. I ran quite poorly, having no speed and finishing 27th from 65, quite low down for me, with many people ahead of me that have been behind me all year. I felt good towards the end of this race and would have prospered had it been half as long again! Just goes to prove that my endurance is OK but my speed is not. One month after the BGR I did the Gritstone Tryal and was 5th - although the field was not strong. I was leading at one point (running into a tree did not help my cause!). That was a 13 mile race, and I felt better as time went on. One month has passed, but I still can't say that I've fully recovered. But I've recovered enough to enjoy racing - I just have to swallow my pride a bit when I'm beaten by people who I was so recently some way ahead of.

Borrowdale beckons on Saturday, 5 weeks after the BGR. My hope is that it goes well and my immediate aim to is return to competitive fell racing again. I'd love to get somewhere near four hours.... Generally though, this year's aim has been met.

People have asked me what the next challenge is. Right now I don't know. The Lakes are very dear to me, more so than many other mountain areas, and so I'm not sure I can get as worked up for the Paddy Buckley or the Ramsey. We'll see but they are obvious challenges to think about. First thing's first, let's have a good summer of racing (I've missed racing quite a lot, part of the sacrifice you should make for the BGR) and enjoy the BG meal in October! Alison can't wait to be a BGR-wag!

One possible next step is to write a guide to the BGR. So much information is swimming around on various forums, websites etc. There does not seem to be a single publication that describes the route. This could be an enjoyable undertaking, but part of the fun is gathering this information for yourself and I wouldn't want to ruin it for anyone. Still, it's a thought...

I've really enjoyed writing this blog. It's progress and development has, to some degree, mirrored my own. It started as a very matter of fact record of what I was doing and how it felt, and ended up becoming more and more introspective, whilst staying true to it's 'training log' roots.

I think that's what happened to me too. When I decided to start training for the BGR, it was all about miles, feet of ascent and getting some good physical training in. As the training went on, it was more about getting used to being tired, being out for a long time and coping in all weathers - which is really training the mind. My preoccupation started with 'how much can I do' and ended up being 'how am I feeling'; much like that of the blog. The key to success on the BGR is preparation, and so much of this is about preparing your mind.

If anyone reading this decides to do it, my one piece of advice to remember to enjoy every aspect of it. Enjoy the build up and don't wish it away. Enjoy the company you'll have in training and on the day. Enjoy getting things wrong and learning lessons on the way. Enjoy being knackered. Enjoy getting stronger. Enjoy dragging yourself out for a training session you are not in the mood to do. Enjoy putting the jigsaw pieces of your plan together. Enjoy buying new kit for the event. Enjoy getting to know the route. Enjoy not quite being able to explain to your workmates what is it you are contemplating. Enjoy hating the taper beforehand. Enjoy standing at the Moot Hall, scared stiff and with minutes to go. If you do all that, you will enjoy the BGR and you will succeed.

I'll finish by thanking everyone who helped and encouraged me. Your affect on me is impossible to express, as is the extent of my gratitude.

Mark

Mark's BGR - 29th/30th June 2007

2007-07-09T09:51:00.000-07:00

The night before...

Technically, my BGR started at 6.55 on Friday evening (29th June), but really, it felt underway when I arrived at the hut on Dunmail Raise the evening before. Up to that point, the BGR was something I was preparing for. When I arrived at the hut, unlocked it, lit the boiler and unpacked everything I immediately felt better. Being sure we had the hut was the last critical thing left to sort. Now I was there in the hut, it had arrived.

The preceding couple of weeks were horrible - all that waiting, not running much, worrying too much when you do run and the general basic pain-in-the-arse type behaviour that must have grated on everyone who knows me, works with me, lives with me. All of a sudden, I felt better and was on a mission.

I'd have felt better still during my solitary vigil at the hut on Thursday night if hadn't have been absolutely pouring down outside. I sorted out gear, food and clothes for tomorrow's round, did the crossword and checked out the hut (i.e. grabbed the best bunk). This activity was punctuated by my stepping outside to vainly look for a break in the weather. It didn't come all evening and my mood darkened in sync with the clouds overhead.

I decided on a solitary night up there before folks arrived on Friday so I could get everything together and to be sure I was first there. It was a good idea. I was nervous and would have been crap company. It also meant I was in control, could get an early night and have a lie in.

The hut was great - I would recommend it to anyone doing a BGR as their HQ.

It is the large solitary dwelling on Dunmail Raise, 600 yards from the BGR road crossing at Dunmail. It is right by the lay-by that BGR recce'ers will know well. It belongs to Achille Ratti and is perfect. It sleeps 38, has 4 dorms so various 'shifts' need not disturb each other (e.g. those doing the night leg can get back and go to bed without disturbing those resting in advance of a daytime leg) and a huge communal kitchen and dining area. Thanks very much for Jen for securing our exclusive use of it.
(It's a fact worth knowing that you can only get mobile reception in the front dorms and by the steps leading down to the lay-by!

D-Day Dawns...

I awoke to a better day: some blue, some grey, some white. The tops looked clear. The forecast however did not. At best, it looked like I had decent conditions until 8am Saturday, 13 hours into the round. Then it suggested very poor conditions for the rest of the day.
I decided I would make hay while the sun shone and go out quickly on a 21/22 hour schedule, or at least, to be well inside the 23.5 hour schedule I was aiming for. I decided not to tell my leg one pacers this. This was because a 21/22 hour pace is quite easy when you are fresh. I didn't want to tell them that i was aiming to 'go out fast' because they might have pushed too hard. I decided i would set the pace for the first 2 legs and aim to be an hour up on the 23.5 schedule at Dunmail. I felt better still because I had a plan, but was still very nervous about the weather coming in.
I toyed with a 6pm start rather than a 7pm start. This would mean one less hour to hang around, but also would increase my chances of getting clear of Broad Stand (a small rock climb en route) before the weather came in. Given the support I had lined up and what it might take to change things, I left it as it was. With hindsight, I wish I would have moved the start to 5 or 6pm as this would have resulted in a much faster round, but felt duty bound to leave it. This shows one of the few advantages of having a smaller, nimbler set up re support, although I wouldn't change my support crew for the world.

As Friday progressed, people started arriving. First my long suffering wife, then Pete and Jen, Rowly and the trickle became a steady flow of willing helpers. As the numbers swelled and even the pacers became nervous, I felt pressured - I could not let these people down by simply giving up. If I were to fail, then it would have to be because I fell off something or something fell off me. Pressure gradually built into determination and I felt readier than ever.

And so to Keswick...

Keswick, 6pm and the sky looked great - perfect. Shit, I thought, why aren't I up there now!?! We loitered around the car park and counted time, which of course seemed to be going backwards. Greg and Caroline arrived, virtually direct from Melbourne - the stray Aussies returned just in time to see me off. What a superb feeling that was. To see such good and long lost friends at this time was making this whole day feel as though it was going to work out.

After several trips to the loo, I decided I could wait no longer and we would have to go to the Moot Hall and the start line. As we walked across the car park, a happy looking group ran across the car park: the 6:30 group from Macc. I wished them luck, and meant it. I also envied them - they were underway and I was quietly bricking it. I wasn't the only one - the faces of my friends betrayed their own apprehension (although they may have simply been mulling over where to go for dinner once I was out of the way.)

We discovered another group all ready to set sail at 7pm on the same schedule. This was a shame as I wanted clear air and no distractions. Balls to it I said, we would now start at 6.55 and give both groups some space. A quick annoucement to pacers and support alike to tweak everything on their hymn sheets by 5 mins and we were soon to be off. How decisive! It sounds silly, but that made me feel in control and ready. As I lined up with Pete, Andrew and Simon for leg one in the evening sun - everything felt right.

Leg One - Keswick to Threlkeld. 15 Miles, 5300' ascent.

My covert fast start didn't feel fast. This was good. We jogged merrily through Fitz Park and marvelled at the weather. Paul appeared and took a photo as we crossed the bridge; I mentally subtitled it "Before".

We took to the slopes of Latrigg and walked the ups. It felt faintly stupid to walk up such runnable slopes, but we all knew it was the right thing to do. Noone suggested we do any uphill running.

My pacers all got right into the habit of feeding and watering me. As we plodded up Jenkin Hill on Skiddaw, the first climb of any significance, the view south opened up and we were all agog. It was stunning.

For me though, it had an entirely different siginificance going well beyond the aesthetic. I could see the whole round and relearned in an instant that the BGR is a bloody long way. Someone asked how far the BGR was. I swept my arm in a huge southern arc and said, "that far". I gave Robinson, peak 42, a quick glance and realised I had slowed down a touch. I was starting to cower. This would not do and so we ran the gradual rise behind Skiddaw Little Man towards the final climb. Simon advised that we were 'well up' on schedule, to which I did not react. I needed a peak to calm my nerves; the fellrunning equivalent of Dot Cotton needing a fag. Getting up Skiddaw would set me off fine, and so it did. Arrival there in 71 mins, 14 up on schedule and at a canter made me feel much better.

Onwards to Calva, and some heathery fun. The perfect conditions meant locating that tricky trod over Hare Crag was easy. We took a great line to that, cutting a corner off and saving a minute or two. My GPS chirped at our arrival at the tiny cairn which sent us over Hare Crag and to the beck. No dramas and very high spirits accompanied us Calva as Simon's local knowledge guided us expertly on the best possible line. We were making such good time that Paul, our offical BGR photographer didn't make it round on his bike in time to catch us before we started this climb, but his long lens reeled us in as we climbed (see us at bottom left of picture).

I've always felt that the 51 mins the 23.5 schedule allows for the journey from Skiaddaw to Calva is very generous and must be something to do with the fact that many people do this leg at night. It came as no surprise to me that we got up there in 39 mins and at an easy pace. Knowing that the heathery slope on Calva has claimed many a knee or ankle, we picked our way down easily from the south summit and headed on a line just left (east) of Mungrisedale Common's summit (perhaps I could include it and claim a 43 peak round?!). We met Paul at the bottom on the 4x4 track. Although we knew we were going well, it was terrific to hear someone else say it! We were the best part of half an hour up.

One more climb and leg one is done! Blencathra was bathed in rosy sunlight as we plodded up its sprawling northern slopes. Passing the summit of the common 150 yards to the east, we found and used the track towards Foule Crag. Simon's local knowledge came in handy again as he took further up it than i have ever been before traversing a slightly rising line to the summit. It was a superb line. He knew the precise boulder at which to turn off the track - handy! I had already made up the time i was hoping to gather on leg one and didn't even think about the pace on this climb, yet we made another 8 minutes up on this section.

Just Hall's Fell, and 31 mins of descending to get down to the first road crossing. I was exicted - I was looking forward to seeing everyone and hearing the various whoops and congratulation that we were so far up and feeling good. Simon said he had a really unusual line of the summit, but i didn't want to take any chances on the round and would rather keep things simple coming off this rocky top. So we followed the ridge and he dropped almost immediately towards the gill on the right (west). He appeared soon after some distance ahead - proving his route was bloody quick! I will look into this for future supporting of other attempts!

We descended with such ease and joy - I've seldom felt so alive. The sun was setting but still up, so no worries about coming down this tricky ridge in the dark. The ground was dry and we felt fresh. We arrived in Threlkeld about 40 mins up on schedule and extremely confident.

This was this Tattenhall BGR support crew's virgin road stop - but they were like pros. Chair was out, jacket to hand, new socks ready, towel handy, rice pud and tea done to a turn and lots of similing. Superb.

Leg Two - Threlkeld to Dunmail Raise. 15 miles, 5900' ascent

Jamie (aka NotonurHelly on the FRA Forum) and Dave Sykes were also primed and ready at Threlkeld. They were already pratting about when I got there so I knew this was going to be a fun, entertaining night leg. The sky looked clear, which is all you can ask for a night leg. Who knows, perhaps I could nick another half hour on this leg, but it was really about taking it easy and hoping I could nibble away at the schedule without breaking a sweat

(By the way, all the 3D gimmicky images show the actual line I took).

Jamie (who I had only met hours before), Dave and I made good steady progress as the darkness fell. We made up 10 mins on Clough Head before I slowed things down and kept to schedule as far as Helvellyn. This was made easier by repeated games of 'Who am I?'. How Jamie got Trevor McDonald by ascertaining that he was 'on the telly' and 'probably a nice bloke' I'll never know. The man has powers. I'm not even sure we got anywhere near 'black' and 'newsreader'.

The recces came in useful on this leg, simply through shaving corners off here and there and generally having the courage and confidence to leave the path in the dark to favour a slightly quicker line. Thanks to our efforts on leg one, we had residual sunlight for that first cold climb up the north flank of Clough Head. We didn't don headtorches until Calfhow Pike - which is pretty good going. The effort level was low and yet we nibbled away the odd minute or two from the schedule - it was all very satisfying. As we moved across the Dodds, a pink moon rose almost obviating the need for headtorches. It's hard to remember ever feeling as satisfied as this on the whole round.
Better still, we could see some lights ahead. Earlier, Paul have ventured that he and Carole were going to place themselves atop Helvellyn to capture our arrival there. Sure enough, there he was at some unnatural hour with an unnaturally large flashgun! How nice to see someone here! We grabbed at bananas and water and sped off towards Nethermost with renewed vigour - wihilst Paul and Carole, already with a hour or two's plod behind them, made off back down to the valley having seen us for all of 1 or 2 minutes.

Now this is taking his role as BGR photographer to the extreme, and who am I to argue!

The rest of this leg went well. We took good lines off Nethermost and Dollywaggon, areas I have often found confusing in the past despite the proliferation of paths and cairns (perhaps that is the problem). The sting in the tail on this leg are those two climbs up Fairfield and Seat Sandal. We chose the 'out and back' route up Fairfield and in doing so, crossed paths with the 6.30 group during our ascent (and their descent) of Fairfield. Spirits were high, both groups were going well!

As we climbed Fairfield, we noticed the pinkish moon reflecting in Coniston Water to the south. It was stunning. There was as yet no sign on the sunrise meaning we were well up on schedule, something like 80 mins. I still felt as though I'd just set off - things were augering well.

We actually lost 2 mins on the FF section, possibly due to a very deliberate descent of Dollywaggon Pike. This was the first stretch where we were down, but I didn't panic. No point. I could already feel myself and the round itself moving into a different phase. As we climbed Seat Sandal and leg 2 was drawing to a close, I realised that big central leg was upon us and I was soon to be really tested. Confidence turned to a purposeful urgency. I was less flippant but felt just as good. I withdrew a touch from the banter and realised as I approached the headtorches looking up at us from Dunmail Raise that the real work was to come.

Leg 3 - Dunmail Raise to Wasdale. 16 miles, 6300' ascent

The road support at Dunmail was just 600 yards from the hut and a warm bed, but that thought only crossed my mind when I realised that the leg 3 supporters were being dragged from theirs prematurely due to my early arrival almost one and a half hours ahead of schedule. It was still dark, although a hint of dawn tinged the eastern horizon.

Alison was planning on sleeping through this one and reuniting with me at Wasdale, but she joined Cath and Liz at Dunmail as she could not sleep - a nice surprise.

I could see the leg 3 posse, real experts, were up and looking ready to move. Ian and Simon, BGRs, Ramsey rounds and race wins amongst their CVs were ready with their boundless energy, judgement and advice. Pete, joining again after leg 1's exploits, was to witness a change in pace for sure and James, Simon's eldest, was joining us for the experience as far as Esk Hause where his mum would await. I suspect this means another BG to support in many years to come - he's just 14 now! He looked in rude health!

After much needed and appreciated tea and rice pud, we were off on that grind up Steel Fell. I felt good here but reigned it in. I worried that the pace was too slow in the company of these super-quick guys. That worry probably accounted for the nearest i came to a bad patch - a real attack of nerves as we passed over Calf Crag and ditched the headtorches for our climb up Sergeant Man. Ian noticed almost immediately that something was up, even though we were moving inside the 23.5hr pace. I said that my legs were just starting to feel a little tired - his response, typically reassuring, was something along the lines of, 'of course they are, you've been going 9 hours'.

We still had good weather, in fact the Langdales and the run over to Rossett Pike were done in the company of a gorgeous morning. Nothing nasty looked like it was brewing in the west - perhaps the forecast was wrong as rain was due in an hour or so? That would be wonderful, I'd breeze round at this rate...

Rossett Pike came and went, and we had a welcome sighting of Paul, Carole and camera at Rossett Gill at @5.30 in the morning!

I felt good here, really good. 11 hours in and I was comfortable, well ahead of time and satisifed that if the weather came in now, my plan of making hay while the sun shone had worked. The nature of the company had changed from companionship to full-on support. Ian and Simon were feeding and watering me constantly and Peter was acting as packhorse - or so it seemed to me. I felt happy that I'd chosen this team for this crucial leg, and very grateful - something i was to feel even more within the next few hours...

As we climbed Bowfell, I felt little raindrop. It seemed weird, the sky was clear? As soon as we summitted Bowfell, we realised its bulk had been hiding the bad weather, and we could see a black-grey wall coming towards us. The forecast we spot on. Soon, it enveloped the Scafells, and the comparativly puny Langdales of recent memory were shrouding up.

The rain didn't come right away, but it was in the post. We got through to Esk Hause still on schedule for leg 3 and well inside overall, and dropped James with Sue. How nice to see her and how surreal be up there at this daft time (@0630).

I started to feel nervous and almost sick that the bad weather was finally here. As we came off Great End, to another audience with Paul and Carole, we drifted into the clag and into Ill Crag.

Here, the benefit of getting out in all weathers pays you back. I had recced this section across the Scafells, but only ever in good weather. We found Ill Crag no problem but I took an awful line off, almost heading into Eskdale. I realised what was afoot and overcompensated and returned to the main path back towards Great End! We were back on track but it cost us ten minuites. Broad Crag and Scafell Pike were easy enough, but we dawdled a touch getting off the Pike (cairns everywhere, which is the right track!?) and found ourselves not much later at a greasy and lonely Broad Stand. If only I had set off at 6pm!!

We had a plan for Broad Stand, which was for Jen Taylor (Pete the packhorse's wife), who had gamely wild camped in Eskdale the previous evening, to walk up and set up the belay. As she approached from above, she found that the intervening ground was too slippery and she didn't feel safe. As it happens, she came across the guys doing the 'double BG' attempt who informed her that a rope was already in place. I'm very glad that Jen stayed put and didn't risk her neck to come and placate us.

We arrived at the pitch and despite having done some climbing in the past, I got nervous. We found the rope but couldn't trust it until we could get it checked. This is where having Ian and Pete, two good climbers, was so very useful. Ian free climbed the pitch in the greasy murk and checked the rope. Having established it was OK, Pete tied me on a bowline and I climbed up. I thought it was easy until my foot fell out of the crack I'd lodged it in. As I was about to have another go, Pete just made me stand on this thankfully broad shoulders and I climbed the rest of it with ease. Ian expertly handled the rope and Simon and Pete followed up soon after. Ian had quite rightly took his time before allowing us up (time for half a tub of rice pudding, leaving Simon to have to carry an awkward cargo of a half eaten pot) but this, and getting four of us up there cost us about 20 mins on the schedule. We were still 45 mins up.

We saw that someone had marked the way out of Broad Stand towards Scafell's summit with very small patches of white powder - a practice that some have subsequently kicked off about on the FRA forum. I didn't give it much thought at the time but we used the marks to pick our way up the hill, despite knowing the way anyhow.

We soon met Jen, waiting well above the main crags. It was great to see her. We left her with her husband Pete, whose pacing duties were now over. He'd been great, running leg 1 and most of leg 3 - good experience for his probably much faster round next year.

Simon, Ian and I moved onto Scafell and took the path down to the valley. We dropped quickly out of the clag, ran down the quick and enjoyable scree run and were feeling good. It was good to be off that rocky stuff and almost running free again. Halfway down what is the single biggest descent of the round, I tripped and fell, banging my knee in the process. It was one of those you think nothing of normally, but I could feel it start to swell slightly as I ran down. I decided not to say anything unless it impeded me. People can worry too much and dent your confidence even when they are trying to help. I didn't want that to happen.

Arrival at Wasdale came quickly, with a good and seemingly effortless descent off Scafell. It was a real turning point - I was 14 hours in, 40 mins up on schedule and feeling confident. The weather, so crucial to these events, was on the turn, a turn for the even worse...

Leg 4 - Wasdale to Honister. 13 miles, 6200' ascent.

Over the recent few days and weeks, leg 4 is what I was dreading most. Barring accidents, bad luck or a severe underestimation of the task in hand, leg four is likely to be the leg where doomed attempts are most likely to come to grief. It's a route littered with thrown-in BGR towels.

It's a tough leg in its own right but more so for being at a critical point in the round. It's not as far as leg three, but has about the same amount of climbing and two-thirds of it is on rough and steep ground. I was dreading it.

I set off from Wasdale in light rain and feeling optimistic. My legs felt good, but I was aware and deeply respectful of the climb that was facing me: Yewbarrow. I wouldn't be surprised if it ranked top in 'bits you were dreading' when it comes to BGRs. I knew there was plenty more to come, but knowing that was behind me was something I was looking forward to.

Nick Holmes and Steve and Sarah Hammond - good friends and equally good runners and pacers joined me on this leg. I'd previously recced it with Nick, and the Hammonds had supported Simon on his BGR on this leg so I'd chosen pacers wisely. I also knew that this crew would get me through any bad patches, which I was expecting.

I wanted to do Yewbarrow within myself but without losing time. I wanted to hit the 50 min target in the 23.5 hour schedule without really working. This was all about pace judgement and would be a good test of how I was doing. I wanted the schedule times to still feel manageable, and this was the tester. To my absolute delight, we reached the cairn dead on 50 mins, and at an easy effort rate. The climb was made easier by the chatter and encouragement from my supporters. We then made up a few mins on Red Pike and again on Steeple and for the first time on the whole round I began to feel like I was going to make it. This was a turning point, so much so that the weather gods thought they would make it interesting...

It was at this point that the rain, wind and clag got nasty. Conditions became abominable. We moved well and kept the faith and were inside schedule on Pillar also, 10 mins up for the leg! I was euphoric, inwardly at least. I was obviously tiring as I withdrew more and more into myself but the rate of climbing was still going well. It was on that climb up to Pillar, which was made difficult by the wind tearing through Wind Gap (!), that I realised that the 10,000' per week maxim was worth adhereing to. If you can climb well enough and jog the descents, you'll make it.

The summit of Pillar was wild. We started seeing walkers on the hills - strange after having hours to ourselves. The wind and terrible conditions played a hand in one of the few mistakes we made on the round. We went off Pillar towards Pillar Rock on an improving track, but only descended about 100' before we realised that this was not right. We climbed back up with no panic and took the right line off. Total cost = 10 mins. We'd wiped out what we had gained on this leg so far but were still 40 mins up overall.

We dropped to Black Sail where Richard B and Greg were waiting with more food and some warm tea. This was part of my plan to avoid a bad patch. Many people have a terrible time on Kirk Fell, and so I wanted something there to look forward to. Many attempts flounder there and I was determined mine would not be one of them. We arrived slightly later than they had planned (people were getting used to me being ahead of schedule!) and we had a short break of about 10 mins with them as we ate and drank - investing some time here in the ability to do the rest of the round.

We moved on, but i felt sluggish. Not bad, but not as good. Inevitable I suppose. What was good was that there was no panic - I still felt in control. We dropped 15-20 mins on Kirk Fell due to the break and the pace, but made 5 mins back on Gable. That's when I knew I was ok - I was still making time up when I was moving, even in the awful wind and rain. Brilliant.

That climb up Gable was nowhere near as hard as I thought it was going to be. My support were wonderful, each slipping into complementary and yet unrehearsed roles. Steve navigated and set the pace. Nick fed me. Sarah walked just in front of me, allowing me to simply put my feet where hers had been. Greg and Rich were the entertainment. I was thrilled to see them. Greg was still in the throws of jet lag having come over from Australia, and hadn't touched a fell in almost 2 years. Now here he was in just about as bad conditions an English summer can throw at you and he was loving it. I felt very humbled by what everyone was doing.

Green Gable was bizarre - we were blown up the hill! I was happy now as I knew it marked the end of the rough ground for the whole round and arriving there anywhere near the schedule was a portent to success. We were doing fine, and I allowed myself some optimism. We dropped out of the clag as we approached Brandreth and my pace quickened. I started joining in conversations I had previously withdrawn from over Kirk Fell and Gable and I started thinking about Honister and Alison and tea and victory. Most of all, I thought about my friends right here with me on the hillside and those that had helped so far. It was a strange time to reflect given there were 3 or 4 hours of running left to do, but I arrived at Honister happy, tired and pre-occupied.

I was also wet. We all were.

Still, my minimum target for Honsiter was to be leaving there with three hours to go. I had over four to play with and really thought that things were well placed, despite the fact it continued to hammer it down.

I thought Honsiter was odd though. I felt bouyed and in good shape, but understandably tired after 20 hours on the go. My support crew had last seen me at Wasdale where I was a little damp but going well. Now they were faced with this soaking wet, gaunt figure and I could detect little expressions of worry where there had previously been confidence. I don't think anyone thought I was going to fail, but I could see doubts in one or two people. I decided to just stick to my routine - eat, drink tea, eat a bit more, get changed and get going. My inlaws appeared, out of nowhere, and for a while I thought I was in the twilight zone. They had driven over from Newcastle to see me. They looked quite shocked when they saw how soaked and knackered I was.

Leg 5 - Honister to Keswick. 12 miles, 2400' ascent.

I needed to get going before other people's well intentioned nervousness allowed any demons to set in. I actually felt a bit stroppy and just got up and went before the 15 mins were up. My leg 4 crew carried on, but this time Richard Kenworthy joined us and was in charge of keeping me moving and sustained over leg 5. He did a great job. It's easy to look at time in the bank and get complacent. Rich was having none of it. He didn't force me to eat or drink anything, but was a constant presence that ensured I did not forget. With his banter and encouragement, I was up Dale Head in scheduled time and it felt really easy. Now I felt good. A quick pee and Hindscarth was under our belts with 4 mins to spare. Running off Hindscarth towards the trod up to the final peak of Robinson, I wanted to sprint! I suddently felt amazing and duly plodded up there making up 5 minutes in the process.

It felt in the bag now.

I gave the summit cairn, my 42nd of the run, a little triumphant peck before heading off down that ridge. I was warned that my legs might not like the rock step and that I might need help getting down it - pah! No drama. Scrambled down it without a pause. Then a moment of hilarity. I really needed a crap - my first and only of the whole round. I'm known at the running club for the frequency of my alfresco dumps (I needed to go twice during a four mile fell race just the previous week!) and yet had held off until the final peak. If anyone was running a book and which peak I'd crap on first, Skiddaw would have been amongst the favourites.

I dropped off the ridge line and did what I needed to do and tried not to notice how much I was chaffing. The tops of my legs and groin was red raw and really sore. Contast this with no blisters on my feet at all. All very unsavoury, but it's part of the experience without which this blog would be incomplete!

We dropped down off the main ridge early and followed the valley route in towards Newlands Chapel. Still raining hard, we got a brighter sky and a stunning rainbow beckoning us towards the end. It was a magical sight. Sat behind it was Skiddaw, masked by a translucent veil of cloud that betrayed a heavy shower. Looking at peak one from peak forty two was, on some distant level, satisfying, as was the rainbow and the brightening sky. But my mind was more focussed on the matter in hand, i.e. getting to the road head, getting some road shoes on and getting this thing done. I was still on a mission and would not scupper it now by spending valuable time enjoying my surroundings! I know, silly isn't it.

I was delighted to find that my wife and some friends from Tattenhall Runners were waiting for me on the track before the road head. I was wet through and feeling the weight of my waterproof. Rather than greet her with a kiss or anything like that, the first thing i did when I saw Alison was give a wet cagoule to carry. Poor thing!

I wasn't great company as I was not looking forward to the road run. We arrived at Newlands in due course, and my spirits, despite almost having this sewn up, were low.

This was for a number of reasons. I was wet and the chaffing was really sore. I was tired and knew the road section was going to be a bore. If I had have been with-it enough, I'd have probably realised that the main reason I was down was because it was almost over and I was having a brilliant day out on the hills. You'd have had a job convincing me of that at the time though.

Arrival at the road head and off came the fell shoes for the last time (Innov8 Mudrocs if you're interested). I dried my feet and Sue Ellis, who presided over things in her caring yet authoritive way, asked around for some talc. All that was available camed from Lauren's private stash, some expensive girly stuff which she was loth to sacrifice for my minging plates of meat. As Sue dusted my feet, they felt wondeful, like new feet. I cheered up a bit and took a swig of tea. Cold! Oh dear, the strop returned and I huffily asked if I could have a warm tea. Honestly! Well, I could hear the activity and concern - they were obviously worried about me as they should have told me to bog off. I didn't plan to have a drink, just to stop and change shoes - but the extra time in hand (1hr 25mins to go) allowed for a longer stop.

Once I got going, I relaxed. The road crew probably did too. They had been magnificent, all day and night. The fellrunners were wonderful too, but their support was provided by fellrunning, something they like to do. Road support involves driving, waiting, preparing food and drinks, getting cold and wet, seeing an increasingly tired and withdrawn (and stroppy) contender for a few minutes at a time before packing up and doing it again; stuff they wouldn't choose to do. It's done out of friendship and support, and I felt pride, and a little guilt at my cold tea strop as we left for the final phase - the road run.

I hoped this would feel like a victory lap, but my poor legs were not able to cope with tarmac. I'd rather have climbed a 43rd peak than done that road section. My quads were screaming. I could barely register a shuffle. Andrew, stalwart from leg one, ran by my side as various others ran together ahead, chatting, enjoying themselves and all that. This was perfect - they provided at atmosphere and left me to it, whilst Andrew stayed with me, offering support and making it all seem to go just that bit more quickly. He was a real brick and I was very grateful. Cath pulled alongside me at one point, walking as I shuffled, and asked how the legs were feeling. I couldn't bear to rip her head off, she'd been a great mate over the last few months and provided wonderful road support on the round. I counted to ten and calmly added that my quads felt like they had serrated kitchen knives inserted into them, each tipped with a dose of particularly sting inducing acid. Being a wordy type, she congratulated me on the metaphor and sidled off, insisting that I relate that desciption in this blog. Here it is Cath!

Quite suddenly I was just about home. Paul appeared again and took some snaps at Portinscale bridge and before I knew it, I was in Keswick. What followed is a bit of a haze. I ran straight across the mini roundabout near the supermarket without caring about traffic, only to find Andrew directing it!!

Hilarious! Watch out - 12 minute miler coming through!

The Moot Hall appeared and I just lapped it all up. I could see loads of people, champagne and, weirdly, party poppers being set off at me. People were clapping, it was great! Pete jokingly tried to stop me touching the Moot Hall, but a stroppy shout of MOVE! put paid to that. Sorry Pete.

Before i could plan for it, the Moot Hall was in touching distance and after 23 hours and 32 minutes, it was over.

My initial feelings were divided between relief and gratitude, but i found myself unable to express either. I was overcome.

I just wanted to sit down. I found a bench and put my head in my hands - just about suppressing a sob. I was in another world, one based on survival where one could only focus on a small number of things. I could not take all of this in. I was not happy, euphoric or satisfied. Quite simply, I was tired, wet and cold. I had to change that, it's all I wanted. Sucessfully completing the BGR had registered, but in a somehow detached way.

So many people were there and I wanted to thank them all so much. I couldn't though. I had an animal craving to get inside and get changed into dry warm clothes. My inlaws appeared and tried to give me a gift, which they had wrapped up. I was out of it and could not understand what they were giving me. Alison stepped in and swept me away. I couldn't even appreciate kindness at this point - I needed to get inside.

Somehow, we ended up in a pub and I was alone. Those that had dumped me there were variously getting me a drink, telling the others where we were and getting my warm clothes. I had about 2 minutes alone where I sat in a pub and just glazed over. That would have been a great image - perhaps the only one missing from this well catalogued day. I was spent.

Rowly arrived with my bag. I hastened to the loos and got changed and soon felt like a new man. When I got back, more of our crowd were there and the hugs and kisses started. After about 15 mins of otherworldlyness, I returned to Earth and cracked a smile.

Just about a week later, it's still there.

23:32

2007-07-03T08:21:00.000-07:00

A more comprehensive report will follow when i have some photos to post. The fact that people have actually been reading this blog means that i'm going to post something special, a real report of the day that i'll treasure. But i couldn't wait any longer to post something as the blog was sitting there without the simple glorious fact that I've done the Bob Graham Round.

The round itself was magical, more so as it was part of a stupendous weekend surrounded by wonderful people and what for me is the finest countryside in the world - my favuorite place on earth. It was a round of two halves, defined utterly by the weather. I had either end of the spectrum (insofar as you can in summer), from perfect skies and a cool breeze to heavy rain and a howling, ferocious wind. There was little in between, making for really testing conditions for 16 of the 23 and bit hours!

I'll provide a leg by leg account when the "BGR official photographer" Paul has provided some photos. I really can't wait to see them. I'll probably need some more days to let it all sink in too before i can write something coherent and interesting because now, on Tuesday, 3 days later, my mind is still addled and i'm still getting used to the fact that it's over.

What is clear in my mind are various highlights of the day, the most obvious of which is finishing. It felt sooo satsfying. It felt exhausting to a whole new degree and it was remarkably humbling to see how many people were pleased for me, proud of me and to realise at that point how many people had got cold, wet, tired and sleep deprived so that this moment could happen. I was truly overwhelmed in such a way that i have never experienced and probably never will. As the various bottles of champagne (a real surprise!) and party poppers rained over me, all i wanted to do was sit. I found a bench and put my head in my hands, trying to hold back a tear or two. I just about hung on, but there was a couple of wobbly moments! Alison didn;t even try to hold back! Tears of joy and a mantra of "I can't beleive he's done it" whilst hugging everyone made me realise how lucky i am. From that last few yards when i felt like an olympic gold medalist to the first few moments after finishing, life was as sweet as it can get.

Then i noticed it was still raining, like it had been for the last 16 hours. Then i realised that I was cold. All i wanted was to get indoors. I wanted to thank everyone individually, but not right now, i needed a warm dry place and a change of clothes and was almost crazed. A pub did the job, and only then did the satisfaction start to seep out. About 15 mins after finishing, i managed a smile.

Now i'm back at work, and i still feel as pre-occupied as i did in the days before the round. Everyone at work is being lovely and saying well done, and laughing at my John Wayne swagger/limp. Doing normal life type things like work is helping to bring the achivement home. I described the round to someone in very exact terms without trying to big it up and even that brought looks of incredulity (which you would have to be soulless to not find even a little satisfying). It's not why i did the round, but it's nice when that happens. The pre-occupation is the reliving of the day. It's so self-indulgent to go back over the various climbs, decents, jokes, good patches, doubts, slips, slight nav errors, rest stops, meetings with other groups, comments you received on the way etc etc. It's great!

As the working day progressed, i found that the pre-occupation gave way to an increasing sense of deep-seated satisfaction. I feel now how I expected to feel straight afterwards. I am starting to feel like a very happy bunny.

I'm also a very tired bunny. I've slept for 10 hours a night solidly since the round and am still wavering a bit during the day. Encouragingly, the legs feel OK, just a twinge on the knee. I hurt less after three days now that I did after the London Marathon last year! The hideous chaffing around the, erm, groin and the dead big toenails don't smart as much as they did - I'm tired but i'm slowly recovering. I also feel somewhat run down. A couple of mouth ulcers have appeared, making eating awkward, which is an arse as all i want to do is eat. I lost 6lbs over the weekend, and i'm a skinny sod without an obvious 6lbs to lose. I'm craving junk (had pies and chips for lunch yesterday!) and water, despite not being dehydrated during the round. It's all a bit weird, but not altogether unpleasant. It's strangely satisfying knowing that you feel the way you do because you did something you consider to be amazing.

Time will tell for sure whether this achivement affects my confidence or state of mind. From a running and althletic point of view though it has already made me feel much better in myself. I always considered myself rather a skinny runt; a bit of a scrawny git. I'm probably skinnier and scrawnier now than ever but would also say i was physcally and mentally strong, not expcetional, but strong. That's a word i would have never used to describe myself as i'm unusually thin and pigeon chested, despite being tall, which does not do much for your own body image. Age (and a good looking wife!) has generally eroded that as a cause of worry, but i think the BGR has all but wiped it out completely. That's something i would not have predicted, but it's how i feel.

After just 3 days, i also feel lost. I've nothing to do, no need to dash from work to Moel Famau. I am really looking forward to getting the fell shoes back on though, although next week will see a fabulous week in Crete ease away the last of the niggles.

I'm going to make the most of this fitness and confidence though and will do Borrowdale, and this time get under four hours. Too soon? Well time will tell, but who cares - the main goal has been met and i;ve learned it pays to be ambitious. I'm even tempted to trot round the Hotfoot up Famau tomorrow, although that would be silly, wouldn't it?!

Weds 27 June - Wet weather beckons...

2007-06-27T07:53:00.001-07:00

Just had a look at the mwis forecast and it does not look great. But it does not look terminal either. It looks like the start will be fine, through Friday evening and (thankfully!) through the night. It seems as though it will be clear and cool which will allow for good progress.

As Saturday progresses though it will get wet. The timings are all a bit vague according to the various sources although these will become clearer as the day approaches and the forecasts become confident. It looks like there is a low coming in over Wales and the SW, with the Lakes sitting on the northern fringe of the bad weather. Sunday looks horrible.

This all means that the weather will be at its worst during the hardest part of the round, i.e. leg 4 from Wasdale and onwards.

So, what to do?!?!

Much of the advice I've received about strategy and effort centres around two key themes:

- Don't go off too quickly
- Make the most of the best conditions

It appears that these are, for this weekend at least, in direct contradiction of each other. A faster start means making hay whilst the sun (and moon) shines, but might this mean exploding towards the end, when the rain comes. Going off steadily, as I planned to, will mean I'm better set to last the course, but it'll mean hitting the rain earlier in the round.

I could also start an hour earlier to make a bit more of the finer weather? This depends upon the availability of support, both road and fell. I can;t mess so many people about, but this could be an option. Doing this means getting in touch with my supporters and warning them, which means deciding soon.

It's not so much rain that slows you down, it's lack of visibility. The GPS will help but the fact is it is harder to keep your spirits up when it's murky and wet. It is arguable that these weather conditions have reduced my chances.

But the BGR was not supposed to be easy. It's time to draw upon some facts and experiences. I ran, alone and with a rucksack, on some stretches of the BGR in far worse weather than is forecast and kept to schedule. This time, i have helpers, nothing to carry and I'll be more determined. Also, it's only rain. If you're going to test yourself in the hills, you'll get wet. You've been wet plenty of times and pushed on well. Don't worry :)

The answer to this soliloquy is to keep things simple.

I'm going to start at the appointed time. All the stress of rearranging everything will outweigh the benefit of that extra dry hour.

I am going to try and make up time on legs 1,2 and 3. Not too much, but i need to get as much 'in the bank' as i can before Wasdale without wearing myself out - quite a balancing act. I'll take shorter than planned food stops at Threlkeld and Dunmail (10 mins each if i can) and aim to pull out between 30 mins and an hour on the 23.5hr schedule before Wasdale. I'd rather not be behind schedule when the rain comes, but if i am, i'll push hard to make it up.

This means that leg 4 will feel harder and my leg 4 and 5 pacers will have to work to keep me going. For me, the crux of the whole round has always been leg 4. It's always the bit i've been a little afraid of. The fact that the rain will arrive then truly sets this up as a test of mind and body.

I can cope with this and am ready (but it wouldn't break my heart to see an improved forecast tomorrow!).

w/c 25th June - Excited, hopeful, determined, daunted

2007-06-25T13:46:00.000-07:00

Everyone has a bit of their brain which, if I was a brain scientist, would be referred to as 'The Cheese Factory'. It's this part of my brain (operating in the opposite side of my head to the bits responsible for style, coolness, judgement and taste) that keeps playing "The Final Countdown" by 80's-soft-rock-hairfest Europe during moments of contemplation or worse, sleep. The Final Countdown, honestly.

Clearly my Cheese Factory is well developed and working well, but even at it's maximum output (when a verse sneaks in after the chorus before I stub it out) it cannot compare to what the rest of my brain is doing, which is something like, WHOOOOOOOA, or, SHIT-SHIT-SHIT-AARRRGH.

Suffice to say, I've been nervous. I've been nervous about failing. I've been nervous about the weather (73 flood alerts currently on the go. 73!). I've been nervous about letting lots of people down that have come to help me and so want me to succeed. I became more nervous when hearing that so many people have succeeded over the last few weekends (well done to you all) and I've been nervous that this is making those that know me think that it's even more of a foregone conclusion. It's not.

My hope and intention is that all this nervousness (and the Cheese Factory) will give way to confidence and determination. I'm sure it will once I'm on the hill and plugging steadily up Skiddaw.

This past week has been awful. Work has been bad, but is better now, thankfully. I've been pre-occupied and irritable and have been off the ball at work and at home. I've lurched from positive vibes to dauntedness and fear on a sixpence, with the pace of change familiar to the manically depressed. To be blunt - I've been a right pain in the arse.

On Saturday, I ventured out for my last pre BGR run - a 9 mile, 3100' ascent run on the Clywdian Hills route. This is a run that I can cruise round in about 100 mins now with no major effort, running all the climbs (bar the gully, which is so rough as to render running impractial) and not stopping once. This time, my heart was pounding and I had to take some rest. My legs felt strong, but i could not catch my breath. I felt like i was having palpatations! I'd had a very busy and stressful day at work on the Friday, very little tea in the evening and lost some sleep (Europe again). I was never going to run well that morning. I did not feel at all well.

It was an important run though. Some very strange things happened during it. I'm not big on fate or on moments of blinding realisation and self-discovery, but a couple of things happened which have meant that this week leaves me feeling really confident and excited.

Firstly, I was not going so well but instinctly knew i would be OK. That's really important. It was a reaction, not a decision. I knew I'd be alright. I realised that I'd done the training, body and mind. I came to know that if I don't get round, it's not through lack of training.

But it wasn't a totting up of feet of ascent and miles that made me realise this. Instead, I realised that all my training runs moved me onwards, even the ones that went poorly. I'd had some great days out and some rotten days out (which were still great days out, a seemingly nonsensical sentiment most fellrunners nod and smile wryly at). All these runs make you physically stronger, but some teach you something about yourself. I came to realise that I'd done enough 'hard yards' to account for a complete training schedule.

I genuinely felt bad on Saturday, ill in fact, but plugged on. This was automatic. I thought back and realised that this automation had been hard won. I backed myself without really knowing it. I'd done loads of training runs like this (in fact I'd simply done loads of training runs full stop), i.e. tough runs that didn't feel good.

The other weird thing that happened during that Saturday run was (don't laugh) that I heard a loudspeaker playing Chariots of Fire as I was resting atop the gully on Moel Famau. Seriously! There was a Race For Life going on down in the valley and the wind was carrying the noise up the hill. Fate? Naaaaah, although the Cheese Factory is trying to convince me otherwise.

There are loads of reasons for bad training days, and I now realise you need to sample them all to truly test yourself. Sometimes it's your guts (remember that run with Steve, Sarah, Nick and Pete when you felt sick for the first 90 mins after that fry-up!), sometimes the weather (that run on Leg 3 in January in 90 mph winds and horizontal rain will live with me for a while), sometimes it's illness (racing the Edale Skyline after a week of diarrhoea was not a good idea, esp in those conditions, but i did not bin it, unlike many other runners) and sometimes it's your mood and state of mind, an obstacle which is accounted for by Saturday's run. I wouldn't have ever predicted it, but my last run was the cherry on the top. I hadn't yet been out for a run when i felt like i shouldn't be there. I;ve really enjoyed the training, even wet days in the Lakes, hailstorms in Snowdonia (whilst wearing obscenely short shorts) and messy, peaty tromps across the high Pennines. I didn't enjoy Saturday, but that, in hindsight, was just what I needed.

Saturday's run capped off the most enjoyable period of training I've ever done. Between January and start of the taper 2 weeks ago I averaged about 10,000 per week. I've done one 19 hour day, one 11 hour day, three 10 hour days and probably about 15-20 tough runs of 4 to 6 hours. I've done 40 ascents of the Tattenhall railway in 5 sessions and run to the 1850' summit of Moel Famau 35 times.

There have been many shining highlights. My run at the Yorkshire 3 Peaks was just so enjoyable. it was a breakthrough run for me, well under 4 hours when I didn't dare hope I had improved that much. The Welsh 3000's was great, both times. The incomplete, wet day had it's lessons (take warm gloves - always) and the successful round was great because I had no fear and ran well to the end. I also felt that way during the Fellsman, which i thought a special event. Those latter runs are how I want to approach the BGR - that feeling of quiet confidence and enjoyment.

There have been few opaque lowlights; just two in fact. The week of illness in February was just horrible, including the Skyline when i felt out of gas with 5 miles to go. Toughed it out in the snow to get round in a shade over 4 hours (miles slower than lastyear) but cannot claim it as enjoyable. The other lowlight has been (is!) the taper. Is it too much? Have I lost fitness? The Final Countdown blaring out of the Cheese Factory. It's a crap time for you and the loved ones around you.

All this reflection has made me realise that I'm ready. The taper really does crank up the expectation. The nervousness is now subsiding into excitement. Never was a Christmas awaited with as much anticipation as this!

All that remains is for me to eat lots and drink more, get a massage (8am tomorrow!), sleep plenty, pack my things, get up there and get round. And get round I will.

Mark

w/c 11th June - Less training, more thinking

2007-06-17T04:54:00.000-07:00

I've been warned about the tricks your mind and body can play when you're tapering instead of training.

Perhaps anticipating this, a kind reader of this blog contacted me out of the blue and advised me to stay positive and keep my head clear of doubts. What good advice, because I'm finding that it only takes a few days of non or reduced training and a fresh appreciation of the size of the goal ahead to allow some negative thoughts to gain some purchase.

A good run, or indeed any run that delivers a payload of endorphins is usually enough to present the view of my forthcoming BGR as having an optimistic, exciting and adventurous tint to it. The BGR is something to look forward to at moments like that. Running off Moel Famau at speed or nearing the top of a big climb in Snowdonia whilst still feeling strong provides a feeling you hope is replicated several times over during the BGR itself. You just can't wait.

Cut or reduce the supply of moments like that and it's easy for the mind to try and overprotect. Your subconscious gambles that dissapointment is easier to bear than physical brakdown and starts presenting things to be afraid of so that perhaps you won't go through with it. Suddenly, you're dreading it. The only cure is a run, but you're tapering remember?

This week has been about cutting down the milage and staying sane. It's about staying positive and keeping the faith. It's at times like this that you need support from others. You need to know that there is faith in you out there. Fortunately, I'm blessed with knowing people who can provide that in spades.

So many people are sure that all i need is a fair wind (or at the least, not a constant foul one) and i'll get round. They remind me of the training i've done, how well i'm climbing, how much weight i seem to have lost, how well i seem to have prepared etc. I've drawn upon that this week and remain confident.

I'm grateful, but am feeling both gratitude and fear in substantial measures. I'm content that i'm more determined to succeed that i am scared of failing, but the prospect of failure is still appalling. So many friends are putting themselves out, as well as some people i've never met or hardly know. Falure will see a loss of face amongst my friends and the wider fellrunning community - have I talked my chances up too much?

Such thinking is distracting and useless and diverts from the fact tapering is in itself a facet of the training. I;ve run just three times this week, and felt good on all three occasions, especially on the climbs.

I'm ready, save some finishing touches. Two more runs and less than 3 hours running lie between now and by BGR in less than 2 weeks time.

Can't wait!

Week summary

Mon - rest
Tues - 6M, inc 3 railways - felt good. 1300'
Weds - 9M, Moel y Gamelin loop course - 3100'
Thurs - Club run, TT route. Flew up the railway! @800' Strong run all round. 7M
Fri, Sat, Sun - resting and eating, lots of eating!

Total - @5000', 23 miles

w/c 4th June - Back to earth with a slow agonising grind

2007-06-11T08:49:00.000-07:00

It was all going so well...

I ran leg 7 of the Welsh Castles Relay for Tattenhall and it could have gone better...

I think the roadrunning gods have punished me. Revenge is clearly a dish served boiling hot on the outskirts on Dolgellau. All I did was have a mild and jocular dig at roadrunning and roadrunners during the chairman's speech at the recent running club awards evening. I can tell you now, those words had so recently come back to haunt my every tarmac treading step!

Actually, a dig at roadrunning was not all i did. I did loads of training before this run, including 10 railway climbs on Tuesday (3300' ascent and descent in 1hr 20 mins) and a brisk run on Moel Famau on Weds, all this after the Welsh 3s last weekend and 3 huge weeks climbing-wise before that. This is the real reason why my stage of the Welsh Castles went so appallingly. Quite simply - i was knackered on the start line.

I don;t think i;ve ever ran so badly in all my life. Leg 7 was a brutal leg in very hot weather, which of course didn't help. I started briskly enough but knew within half a mile that my legs were feeling very heavy. As soon as the climb started, i drifted back through the field. I was already reeling before the heat kicked in. The temperature was about 26C and there was no shade and no breeze. The more i plodded, the more i felt like i was being dragged backwards. Quite an eerie experience! I decided to walk to get rid of some stitch (too much water you see?) and to take on some more water (doh!). It was sooo hard to start running again. It became clear after three miles that this was a day to just get through. Don;t bin it. Don;t even think about it. There were people wilting into ditches by the side of the road (6 people from 59 didn;t finish) and one was very poorly indeed. The conditions were the same for us all, but i didn;t seem to be coping at all well with them. It was becoming a trial.

But howcome? 1200' climbing and 9.75 miles is an easy run for me? I know now that running fast on the roads demands lots of training that involves running fast on the roads (or a track). I guess i knew i was strong but not being rested and not having put in much speedwork exposed me terribly. It seems that i have a newfound respect for road running!

I'm trying desperately to prevent this appalling run from affecting my confidence for the BGR. One look at the results for leg 7 show someone who wouldn;t have a hope, and it's hard to escape the starkness of results like that.

But, i know i;ve done really well on the big long days out on the fells, and my legs have been relentlessly programmed to keep going on rough ground for hours and hours at a steady pace.

I started this blog to make sure i could see how far i've come and how much i;ve put in when it got to moments like this. I'm sort of surprised it's taken this long to need to call on it in such a way which i guess is a good thing, i.e. things have gone well for so long. I now just need to keep the faith.

With under 3 weeks to go, i've got to keep it together and start resting more. And stay off the roads!

Week summary

Mon - rest
Tues - 10 * railways (3300') 1:20 - 5M. Went really well, a bit jaded from the weekend, but some good quality climbing there.
Weds - Moel Famau - 5M, 1300' - slight niggle in foot, gone by Friday.
Thurs - rest
Fri - rest
Sat - Welsh Castles leg 7 - 9.75M, 1300'
Sun - Relay support

Total - @20M, 5900' ascent

w/c 28th May - the last big day is done

2007-06-03T07:10:00.000-07:00

It's June now, which means that the big day is this month!

The round has seemed ages away for, well, ages. Now it's almost here. Soon, it'll be time to taper, sort out the details and start scanning the long term weather forecast.

But not just yet. This week has had no air of winding down to it by any means. After last week's BGR support over legs 2 (overnight) and 3, another big day was still due to further build up my training. Once that's done though, that's about it, save a few shorter outings and some quality work on the Tattenhall railway.

I had planned to finish off the really big days by going up to the Lakes to do two days out of Wasdale on legs 3 and 4. However, having done 3 again last week, and with a date with Nick to do 4 on the 13th April, I changed my mind and decided a single, huge day was in order.

I had unfinished business in the shape of the Welsh 3000's traverse. I'd never done it; a notable gap in my CV having spent nigh on 20 years amongst the British hills. Paul, Pete and I had an abortive attempt in February in foul and worsening weather and I was now keen to have another go.

Back in February, i was nervous when we set out for the 3000ers having never had such a long day out before. This time, with days like the Fellsman and some long BGR days (3 days doing 2 legs or more) it was going to be interesting to see if i was any more assured. I was accompanied by 2 much stronger runners in the form of Ian Lancaster and Pete Taylor and was also keen to see if I could hold my own with these two.

As has been the pattern with my preparation for this round, things went swimmingly and we completed the round in reasonable conditions in 7 hours and 50 mins. We weren't after a time, we just wanted a long day and so the time was actually unimportant. We spent a total of 10 hours and 15 mins out on the hills as the 7:50 was the summit-to-summit time. In all we covered 32 miles and about 13,000' ascent.

I always try and look back at the training runs and races i do and consider honestly what the postives and negatives were which is a good way of extracting any lessons. I can honestly say that this run yielded no negatives at all. I felt fine all day and felt like i was holding my own with two exceptionally strong lads. I don't deny that if we were pushing mega-hard then i would have had a job keeping up, esp with Pete but we weren't hanging about and it felt fine. Perhaps most reassuringly of all, i felt pretty good at the end - a little heavy legged but certainly not like i was hanging on. The prospect of another big climb was not at all frightening. I sure hope i feel that way when i arrive at Wasdale during the round...

Early in the run, whilst running off the side of Bwlch Coch, my rucksack pocket came open whilst i was descending and i lost most of my food way up the hill. I'd kept hold of some which hadn;t fallen out, and Ian and Pete gave me some odds and ends, but i ate less than i would have liked, and still felt OK. I think the trick was to keep drinking the copious amounts of stream water we were knocking back. Plain old water seems to revive more than energy drinks and i'll have to make sure i do that on the day.

It's clear to me now after this run, which covers such a variety of terrain, where i should try and make up time and where i should relax and do what i can. The simple truth is that I can climb well on just about any terrain, but i'm a mediocre runner on really rough, bouldery ground. Ian and Pete zoomed ahead on Crib Goch even though i'm very confident on the exposed stuff; those two just dance across ground like that whereas i probably think too much about it. So i don;t expect to make much time up between Bowfell and Scafell, but hopefully i'll be a bit up by then anyway. The big climbs seem to be going very well; Yewbarrow holds less fear for me now that it did.

This run has added to my already growing confidence, but no run no matter how good it feels has done anything to diminish my perception of the size of the task i know i have before me.

My last big day out before the BGR has left me feeling increasingly confident and no less daunted - which is what makes the prospect of doing this round so exciting.

Week summary

Mon - Rest
Tues - Moel Famau - 5M, 1600'
Weds - Moel Famau with Ian - 8.5M, 2500' - brisk
Thur - Easy run with club, inc 1 railway climb (ran up all the way up) - 7M 1000'
Fri - Rest
Sat - Welsh 3000's - 32M, 13000' - 10hrs

Total - 53.5M, 18,100'

Plan for BGR taper = mon;tue;wed;thurs;fri;weekend

w/c 4 June - Rest; MF 1500' easy; 10*railways (3300'); easy club run; rest; Welsh Castles leg
w/c 11 June - Rest; Rest; walking in Wasdale; leg 4 run (13M, 6200'); rest, easy MF 3100'/8M
w/c 18 June - Rest; MF 2500'; Physio; easy club run; rest; MF 3000'/8.5M
w/c 25 June -Rest; MF 1500' easy; rest; rest; rest - BGR

w/c 21st May - Experience changes everything

2007-05-28T04:04:00.000-07:00

I mused last week about fate dealing me a good hand during my BGR preparation. This does not however mean that fate provides an easy ride as some lessons are hard learned.

This week's undisputed highlight was supporting what turned out to be a successful BGR attempt. It was a superb experience, and the single most useful outing throughout all of my preparations. For a BGR aspirant, it was a very 'complete' experience; I learned so much, I recced some more and I got in an excellent long training run.

I'm now left feeling a little uneasy though and my faith that I can actually do this has now been tested. I had been getting increasingly confident over the last few weeks with people telling me I could "get round tomorrow". Some had suggested i move the round to get it in before i got injured. Such faith was flattering, but I knew deep down i needed more time. This run confirms this.

Dave and I ran leg 2 at night and leg 3 during the early morning with Simon. Our job was to carry his stuff, feed and water him and go the right way. If we could do this to schedule without overworking him, so much the better. I was confident that we could do this, armed with a GPS repleat with BGR waypoints and some good training in the bank. We shouldered his load and ours and off we went. I immediately felt tired, within 20 mins. My legs were heavy from the 6000' i'd already done this week, esp the tough speed session I'd done 2 days before. Now I knew that I'm not a great starter so just kept on. I did feel better and moved well across the Dodds. Simon dictated the pace which after a fast climb of Clough Head was either on orjust outside 23.5 hr pace. That usually feels very easy for me, but this time it felt a little laboured. We were greeted with 2 inches of snow on Helvellyn (in late May!) and took it in our strides on a cool and clear yet drizzly night. We lost time on Fairfield (via Cofa Pike ridge, not sure i like that - more climbing and trickier in the dark to find the trod that the out and back route i've used) and decended into Dunmail and was surprised to hear one of Simon's road crew tell him that we'd made 9 mins up on that section (they'd lost a little time on leg 1). It felt like we'd lost time. I had my rice pudding, took on more food and fluid and Dave and I stuffed Simon's gear into our sacks. I felt OK, but expected to feel stronger. At least the morning greeted us clear and bright, albeit drizzly.

The first chunk of leg 3, from Dunmail to High Raise, is fairly uninspiring, and noone likes that climb on Steel Fell. 1000' straight up with food bulging in your belly. I had a badish patch, but was happy moving at Simon's pace. I was worried that we were holding him back, so i kept walking ahead of him to test that pace he wanted to move at. He would stay metronomic rather than catch up. This was all fine, but it was slightly under schedule. We lost time between Calf Crag and High Raise simply by not moving quite fast enough. I always hoped that BGR pace for 23.5 hrs would feel easy at this stage but it still felt laboured. We plodded on with me feeling OK but no better. We lost more time to Rossett PIke, but tried out a new line below Stake Pass which was an improvement which i'll adopt (nick!).

Things picked up on Bowfell. I like it there and that section of the round to Wasdale is demanding, yet interesting and grand (in good weather). The visability was OK apart from a pach of mist on Great End (Simon's route off there was excellent - must nick that too). Simon decided to use Foxes Tarn which adds 10 mins+ to the scheduled times but it is an enjoyable section. I felt better and better and was almost disapointed to find myself descending to Wasdale to finish after 11.5 hours of running. We'd lost 20 mins on that section and and Simon was about 40 down.

He seemed happy with our support (he had none for leg 3 planned), but part of me felt that he would have benefitted from a me that was less tired when we started out. Simon really pulled it out of the bag for leg 4, with a fresh pacer that seemed to know him well who pushed him. I sensed, possibly wrongly, that Simon's pacer for the next legs was unhappy with the time of our arrival and therefore the support we provided. Perhaps he has a point, but we did as Simon asked and prayed it was enough. Simon put in a great performance and I was delighted to hear he made it round in 23.11.

So, how did it go for me? I felt BGR pace to be harder that it usually is for me. I've been flying recently and needed to be bought down to earth. I'm not panicing though as I think there are a few reasons for what i felt was a lacklustre performance (and some lessons too):

- I was tired to start with. On Monday i'd done a 2500' ascent run on Moel Famau at a brisk pace, with 3000' of tough ascent on the railway climbs on Tuesday (9 reps in 1:05). I rested Weds and did a flat speed session on Thursday with the club and ran v hard. With 11,000' in the bank from the week before and the 61 mile Fellsman the week before that I had a right to be tired. Lesson: taper. Simon told me of his 3 week taper which sounds good and something i'll adopt. I'll get a massage too.

- Carrying gear. Of course, i usually run light and have done BGR legs at 21 hour pace without a worry. 2 litres of fluid and various other bits add up and slow you down. Lesson: carry nothing, use your support well.

- Not contolling the pace - mind and body are as one which means if you are not choosing the pace, it's a constant adjustment. This is mentally and therefore physically tiring. Simon quite rightly dictated the pace and clearly knew what he was doing. I didn't know him or his plans well enough to suggst that the pace should ever change. Lesson: Be in control of the pace as much as you can early on and don't be lulled into something by a fresher, fitter pacer. Help yourself and your pacers by sharing your pace plans and work together in delivering them.

There were positives too:

- I was out for 11 hours+, did 31 miles and @13,000 ascent and felt OK at the end. As i type this, my legs are a bit heavy but not at all sore (is DOMS in the post in wonder?).

- I ate and drank well enough, esp on the climbs. It's a good discipline and with pacers to help me, one i'm sure i'll get right on the day. Sports bars, marzipan and fruitcake were all good, as was nibbling those energy tablets at each summit. Should have drank a little more though.

- GPS was good and I've marked some more important points.

- Night leg was excellent and this is very significant. I'm so glad to have go one under my belt as this was a really daunting aspect of the BGR for me. This experience has convinced me to move my start time. Leg 2 in the dark is OK, esp with a GPS to help. I would like it to still be light when coming off Hall's Fell so will start at 7pm on the Friday night. I will tell my support asap (after writing this!) and hope to God they can still help me out. Some will be pleased as the pubs will be open when i get round...

- I learned that you can pull it back from Wasdale. I;d always thought that you needed to be up at Wasdale to allow for a slowing of pace on leg 4. Simon has shown me not to let the demons set in at Wasdale if i'm not where i would like to be for whatever reason. This will help mentally.

In summary, I feel now that all is left for me to do is to do one more big weekend of training and to fine tune everything else. I will speak to my support about the changes, seek some advice on my plans from closer quarters such as from the lines of Simon Ellis and Ian Lancaster and iron out some details regarding the route.

Next weekend i'm going to go up to the lakes and focus on leg 4 plus various bit of the rest of the round that I want to practice. It's all coming together now.

Week summary

Mon - MF direct from Cilcain and again from the Gully - 7M, 2300'
Tues - 9 railway reps, 1hr 5mins. 4M, 3000'
Weds - rest
Thurs - 7M, 200'? Speedwork on flat. Ran well but it hurt!
Fri - rest
Sat/Sun - Legs 2 and 3 of BGR - 31M, @13000' ascent. 11hrs 10 mins.

@50 miles, 19,000' ascent

w/c 14th May - Turned out nice again

2007-05-21T04:15:00.000-07:00

I'm starting to think that I'm being dealt a favourable hand fate-wise when it comes to this BGR nonsense. This statement may come back to bite me, but a few things have happened this week that should really help with my BGR despite my best attempts to bugger things up. As well as a couple of strokes of luck, the training continues to go well too.

All is well with six weeks to go.

I had planned to go up to the Lakes this weekend and do legs 5,1 and 2 overnight and into the morning. The idea was to try out leg one at night. This felt more and more like the wrong thing to do as the week progressed. For one, it would mean another weekend where I lose a night's sleep, which given how rough I felt until Weds (after the Fellsman) was probably not good for my training. Also, 3 club members have each tried to talk me into starting at 6 or 7pm and doing leg 2 in the dark. This made me even more lukewarm about going up to do leg 1 overnight. Also, i had a really busy week and was tired on friday after the running club awards evening. I spent friday off work doing the presentation for that which was nerveracking and stressful - hardly good prep for 3 legs of the BGR. My plan began to feel wronger and wronger and wronger...

So as i prepared to leave on saturday, i logged onto the PC to download some stuff to the GPS. Whilst i was there, i have a peek at the FRA to find a private message there. Turns out a rather nice chap called Simon from London is doing his BGR next weekend and wanted some help - so he sent me a note having read this here blog. He's starting at 7pm on Saturday 26th and doing leg 2 at night. I replied to offer help and now i'll be pacing him on legs 2 and 3.

This solves loads of problems for me:

- I get to experience being part of a BGR round before doing mine - something i did want to try and do

- I avoid 2 weekends in a row with a missed night's sleep (although it still means 2 from 3, but that's OK)

- I get to try leg 2 and the first pt of leg 3 in the dark and can make a decision (poss a revision) about my start time

- I get big day's training in, and one that includes leg 3 (which is hard to recce on your own as it's so hard to get back to your car)

- Simon's road crew can heat stuff up, so i can practice roadside food for my round

- I get to try out the new GPS and data points (cheers Paul!) on the BGR

- Next week will be less tiring with less other stuff to do so is better suited to precede a hard weekend.

Having now spoken to simon and agreed to pace him and carry his gear for 2 legs, i'm excited about the prospect! The more i think about my original plan, the more i am convinced that fate dealt me a good hand this week.

I'm glad that the awards evening, the Borders League results and a genrally busy time for other things is starting to subside - i feel now i can really concentrate on the final and very important 6 weeks of training.

I'm actually pleased with the training i got done this week, esp as i had so much else to do and esp as i was so tired.

Monday - rest, sleepy after Fellsman
Tuesday - rest, still knackered
Weds - 1200'/4M - straight up and down Moel Famau. Calves tight (wore red innov8s - probably needed more cushioning). Felt OK apart from calves.
Thurs - club session, @7M and @1000'. Nick's session on CLosed XC and Maiden Castle route - some good hill reps where i was strong but tired. Started near the back on the long steep reps and finished at the front showing good hill strength. Just about hung on for teh short sharp reps, with Andrew and Rob with me all the way.
Fri - Rest - awards night
Sat - 7M, 2300' - Brisk Moel Famau and Llangynhafal run from Cilcain - same route as with Pete lest week, 2 mins slower but still brisk.
Sun - 17M, 6500' - glorious run in the Carneddau. Started at Aber then Moel Wnion, Drosgl, Bera Bach, steep down and up to Yr Elen (did that 1650' climb in 16 mins and not flat out - very pleased), Carnedd Llewellyn, Dafydd, Back to Llewellyn then North over Foel Grach, Ugain, Foel Fras, Drum and Y Orsedd before dropping into Aber. THe weather was great, the conditions were wonderful.

The only hitch was a freak fellrunning injury, which is fine now... I was descending a rocky path at great speed when i landed on a upturned, pointy and jaggedy stone. It felt like it had come through my studs - it was agonising. I tried to run on it for a bit but it was nothing better than a hobble. I could then feel somethig swelling on the underside of my foot - gutted! I was about 2/3 into the run and was worried i wouldn't be able to continue. It seemed so pathetic ("I banged my foot" is a feeble way of describing how you got injured). LUckily, i had some ibuprofen that was left in my KIMMsac pocket from last week. Even more luckily, i had found a full and sealed bottle of water half an hour before on Bera Bach (i had finished the stuff i brought) and so took the pruffen and crossed everything. Half an hour later i was fine and running well again. It's still a bit tender tho. I had a look at my beloved swoops and noticed that the sole was now about 1mm thick - all this traiing has almost worn them through! Time for some new shoes - hurrah!

I used the route function on the GPS for the first time on Sunday (with Paul's data) which was great. To think that i can pick a few checkpoints on the map at home, tell the GPS and it navigates me round... It is amazing and great practice for the BGR (i'll use GPS as a back up in bad weather).

Stangely - had two tunes in my head all day and we're talking about the sublime to the ridiculous here. On the steep climbs "Put your hands up for Detroit" made an unwelcome return, but for the descents and ridge-runs, "Border Song" by Elton John popped in there even though i've not heard it for years.

Next week should see a 20,000' + week, the start of a three week peak in the training before a much needed taper. All in all though, the week was better than i planned and i feel well on course for a successful outing.

I also feel like i'm getting the breaks, at least at the moment. It might be luck or it might be natural justice (perhaps they're the same thing). To blatantly steal Mike Cudahy's line, it might be that the hills do indeed reward the patient traveller... (thanks for the quote Cath!).

Summary - 35 miles, 11,100' ascent

w/c 7th May - A grand day out

2007-05-13T10:35:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Sarah's healing hands, the calf problem that plagued me last week seems to have gone and I've been able to resume the training. My hope was that the week off would have provided some probably much needed recovery.

This was indeed the case, with an excellent week's training in the bag.

Despite three brilliant mid-week runs on Moel Famau (including a good strong run with Pete on Tuesday), the highlight of course was my first (probably only!) completion of the Fellsman - a 61 mile/12,000' grand day out in the Yorkshire Dales. The Fellsman is an annual pilgrimage for many from the fellrunning, ultra-running, long distance walking and Scouting fraternities. One such pilgrim is Paul Miller who despite deciding to postpone his BGR attempt, was still happy to guide me round his 14th Fellsman. We completed the course together in 19 hours and 2 minutes, having had to slow right down for the last 6 hours to support a slower compliment of runners in our group (competitors have to form groups of four or more during the hours of darkness).

This was not a race. It important for me to know how it felt to push quite hard for a long time, as opposed to very hard for shorter periods. So far, my longest day out running has been 9 hours. Whilst the three peaks and my training runs have demonstrated that i'm fitter physically, it was becoming increasingly apparent that the Fellsman was my main chance to train my mental strength and endurance. So the mission was to take ages and not to rush it.

Perhaps then it was fortuitous that it pissed it down for most of the day! This meant that 'rushing it' was impossible and that it was to provide a tough test.

I learned quite a lot from this event that gives me confidence.

- I can keep going for hours and hours at a consistent pace.
- I'm climbing well and continue to after a long time out (still felt like running up some of the last peak but didn't)
- Drink tea and water at rest stops really helps more than anything else.
- Rice pudding is rocket fuel.
- After over 18 hours out, i could still run 2 road miles at under 8min/mile without too much difficulty (not suggesting that i'll do the last BGR section at that pace!)
- New headtorch was great, waterproofs were great
- GPSs can be bloody useful.
- Staying positive really works, even though the bad patches.

It's SUnday night now and i'm knackered. Apart from a 2 hour nap this afternoon, i;ve not slept since waking at 6am on Saturday morning before the Fellsman. I'm going to veg out now content in the knowledge that another major test that i set myself leading up to the BGR has been passed.

Training summary:

Mon - 9.5M, 3100' - Clywdian race route. Steady, 1:45.
Tues - 7.5M, 2400' - Brisk MF run with Pete
Weds - 2.0M, 1250' - Straigh up and down MF from bottom car park
Thur and Fri - rest
Sat - Fellsman 61M, @12,000'

Totals - 80M, 18,750'

w/c 30th April – A week’s rest at base camp

2007-05-06T03:59:00.000-07:00

I've been reading old climbing books this week - fascnating stuff. I read all about Hilary and Tensing’s ascent of Everest in May 1953, which was a superb achievement on a historic day where they climbed out of their skins. It was made possible not only by their skill, courage and fitness, but also by getting everything and everybody in position. This required masses of effort and planning starting the previous September. Much of that effort was unglamorous and tiresome, such as sailing most of the party and the kit to Bombay on a 2 week ocean voyage, having to ferry loads on foot or by yak all the way to base camp from Kathmandu (a 2 week expedition on its own) and needing to test some freaky Heath Robinson-esque equipment in some weird and wonderful places. Reading John Hunt’s account of that historic trip makes me understand that for them simply getting to base camp was a serious achievement.

And yet on its own, getting to base camp counted for nothing.

I feel a bit like that at moment. Without wishing to suggest that my BGR campaign is anything like as momentous or heroic, I feel like I’ve been slogging away to base camp, trying different things out along the way (food, clothes, GPSs, headtorches…) whilst generally getting fitter and stronger. Last week’s successful 3 Peaks marked my successful arrival at base camp. The next 8 weeks will see the final push towards the top. 30th June is summit day.

The first thing many expeditions do when they get to base camp is rest (esp. those that have slogged there with yaks and coolies from Kathmandu I imagine!). This week I’ve done the same. I’ve done no running at all: a week’s rest at base camp.

I’d like to have the confidence and vision to have planned it that way, but this week off training has been enforced. My calves were very tight after the 3 Peaks because of that dry hard packed ground and I’ve not been happy enough with them to run, esp. after tearing one last year and being out for 2 months. I warmed up to do a local 4-mile road race on Friday evening but it didn’t feel right so I bailed out and didn’t start. I was quite proud of myself for doing that, but then started to worry. I rang Sarah on Saturday morning and she very kindly told me to get myself over there for another massage. She thought there was some persisting micro-muscle damage very deep in the soleus and so pummelled my right calf into submission. It felt noticeably looser afterwards and still does this morning, but by ‘eck did it hurt! Sarah has worked miracles with my dodgy calves before – I just pray that she has again…

My hope now is that the week off has repaired me and increased my chances of success. This thought helps me through that runner’s panic that sets in whenever you are forced to take a few off, i.e. that any day without running will see a reduction in hard earned fitness. I’ve already started scrutinising my non existent belly for signs of weight gain. Honestly, I should get a grip and remember that Alison’s stunning run at Stratford after her 4 week layoff shows that base fitness and endurance do not erode in a week.

The break has provided some positives though. I’ve finally got the pacer and road support notes sorted out and will be sending them out this week. I’ve gone to town on them a bit and had to put them on CD-roms which I’ll be sending out this week. That’s a weight off my mind. I’ve also managed to get the border league stuff pretty much finished, and with my last race as results secretary out the way, I can relax. This would have been harder to do whilst training as I have been. It also meant I could go on the Running Club night out in Chester, which was excellent; a good beery affair! I said in an earlier post that I needed to have more fun. All things considered, if I would have been forced to pick a week to take off, it would have been this one.

I can’t wait to run again though. I’m excited at the prospect of going out to Moel Famau tomorrow and doing a long steady run first thing. I’ve run up that hill over 30 times this year and still love doing it. One of things that I’m happiest about is that I’m actually enjoying the training, even the hard runs. The recent weather has helped but even the memory of those cold and wet epics earlier in the year have had the edges rubbed off and are now remembered with fondness.

It’s a shame I missed the weekend up in the Lakes I had planned, but there you are – you can’t do everything. Looking back at this blog, and at my training diary, it seems that races result in a poor week afterwards. I had tight calves the week after Edale, Haweswater Half and Kinder Downfall. On Friday, Ian Lancaster told me that there comes a point in training for these rounds where you can’t race anymore. And he would know after his BGR and Ramsey heroics. His wise words and my knowledge of my reaction to long races have made decide to give Jura a miss this year. I need long days out and consistent, regular training not long races, no matter how exciting and rewarding they are. The 3 Peaks gave me much needed confidence and was worth doing. From here on in, I’ll give the hard long races a miss (with the exception of the Fellsman, which is a long walk really). I’ll exorcise my demons at Jura next year…

Most accounts of climbing expeditions usually have a bit where the already fatigued climbers express their relief about being finally in position and able to climb the mountain havng fought hard to reach the base camp at the bottom. This usually results in a new release of energy and enthusiasm as ‘real’ progress starts to be made.

Starting on Monday at Moel Famau, and next weekend at the Fellsman Hike it’s all about that final push.

w/c 23rd April - 3 peaks success!

2007-04-30T00:34:00.000-07:00

I tried to convince myself last week that the three peaks race was not a test of how things were progressing for the BGR. I mean, how could it be? The BGR takes @24 hours and is done slowly whereas the three peaks is a fast, pounding circuit done at a hard effort. The BGR is contains many rocky sections whereas the three peaks is on grass, good paths and not a little tarmac. The BGR involves the taking on of a substantial amount of food whereas the three peaks can be done just taking on fluids...

Despite these accurate non-comparisons, it's clear to me now (with 20:20 hindsight kicking in) that this was always going to be a test; perhaps not of my readiness for the BGR exactly but certainly of my progress towards being fit enough and strong enough to do it.

The simple fact is that if i'm not demostrably stronger than when i last did the three peaks 2 years ago then it's uncertain that I have it in me to train and improve to a sufficient level to get round the BGR. A good run today doesn't remotely guarantee a completion, but a bad one might raise some serious questions for 9 weeks time...

I never really acknowledged the significance of this, but deep down i must have known. I had to not just beat my 2005 time of 4.17, i had to shatter it and run at a different level. I never actually said this, even to myself, for fear of failure. Expressing the significance of this run might have robbed me of the chance to talk off a bad one as insignificant, probably citing the points above about how the 2 don't compare.

I might not have acknowledged any of this, but my conscience knew better and it explains why I was nervous as hell on that start line.

I went out fast, stupidly fast I thought. I didn't sprint or anything but it felt like a hard pace. I tried to slow down but instead I just motored on, almost on autopilot. 10 mins in and the hard pace was not hurting so much so I decided to relax and go with it. At the turn to climb Penyghent I was in a pack which had some fast looking runners in it, including Sharon from Bingley who I knew was a 3hrs 30 runner. There was quite a headwind for a time so i drafted a Bjorn Borg lookalike from Tring who looked strong. He towed me most of the way up PYG and I reached the top in 37.28 - just 32 seconds faster than the sub four hour schedule i had set myself. I had mixed feelings here - ok i was on track but that felt harder than i wanted it to and i worried i couldn't keep that up. I decided to simply relax and push on...

Next target on the schedule: Ribblehead in 61 mins. This involves a 7.5 mile cross country run on paths and tracks with loads of little ups and downs. Taken too quickly, it can scupper the rest of your race. Despite that, i decided to give myself a chance to break four hours and to push it a little here. I patted myself on the back for a brave decision as this could easily backfire. Once i had a plan, i relaxed and it felt like i was running on air. Bingley Sharon had long since gone but I steadily made my way through the field and felt increasingly confident. I was shocked at how quickly the 1 mile road section leading to Ribblehead arrived. I took a drink there (losing a few places as i did) and pushed onto to RH and a waiting Dave Oldfield + drinks. 56 mins for that section and a massive confidence boost. I thought before the race that i might get near four hours, but now it seemed now like i was well inside the schedule and i started to dare to hope.

Whernside is a steep and messy climb. However, it's not as tall as it looks - just 1500' from Ribblehead. That's not much more than Moel Famau, although it is far steeper. I decided to keep attacking. At this point I caught a chap who was on his first 3ps race. He looked very strong and I decided he would be a suitable candidate to hang on to. He pushed hard and ran much of the climb, which took me 42 mins in 2005. This time, thanks to him, I was up in 37 mins - a huge improvement for such a short section. Result! I dropped my temporary pacemaker shortly after the summit who seemed to have used too much in the climb - but I was very grateful to him!

Yessss, things were going well! Don't balls it up now on the descent by going over on an ankle or something.... I had to get to the Hill Inn in 25 mins acc to the 4 hour schedule. I was caught between backing off and sandbagging for Ingleborough (and also avoiding an injury) and just going for it. As i was pondering this, and descending along the ridge like some big jessie, a wiry old bugger from Horwich came flying by. "Now that's fellrunning" I thought. It also occurred to me in an ultra-competitive moment that this is precisely the sort of place where Steve comes hurtling by. So I decided to hang onto Horwich man. He took a fabulous line well to the right of the track and i knew i'd made a good choice. It's not like me to make places up on a descent, but there I was passing people merrily. 22 mins later i was running up that short and bloody steep road to the Hill Inn checkpoint knowing that 4 hours was looking possible.

I decided that 40 mins up to Ingleborough and 40 back down to Horton and the finish line would be enough. I took a drink and a gel at the checkpoint and set off towards Ingleborough. For the first time i didn't feel good. Those 2 miles or so to the main climb along duckboards and stone slabs were awful. I ran most of it but walked on some of the small rises and got angry with myself for not running. I saw Dave O halfway along there which perked me up a bit but declined a drink as i was in a rhythm and wanted to keep plugging. I reached the main climb feeling a little worried that I was going to blow it. Bizzarely, it seems now that what I needed was a steep climb that noone could have run at that stage of the race. Everyone was forced to walk and so that run/walk debate, which was getting me down, was swiftly removed. To my delight, i found i was passing people on that steep climb at will. I wasn't stonking up there or anything, but i was moving well enough.

Sarah and Carole appeared at the top of the climb before the final summit rise with a drink and a gel on offer. I took it because it was there rather than because i felt like i needed it. That was probably my main mistake of the day. Shortly after that, i started to run on the final climb and was overcome with an awful stitch. Despite strong and willing legs, i had to walk up to the checkpoint across the plateau. I was preparing for a dissapointing split time for the climb but was astounded to see 36mins on the watch. Perhaps that section across the slabs went better than I thought?

Just a 5 mile tricky descent to go and 47 mins to make the four hour barrier. If i had have been simply tired, i'd have relaxed knowing that sub 4 was on. Hower, the stitch got worse and soon runners were streaming past. If i stayed like this, i'd miss out. Again, i tried to relax and walked and jogged lightly for about half a mile. It was soooo frustrating. Relaxing worked, it got better and i picked up about 10 places over the start of the limestone section. Suddenly I felt fantastic.

But then the stitch returned and another walk through Sulber Nick meant losing more and more places. A kind lady runner from Ilkley that i passed on the way up Ingleborough stopped to ask if i was OK just at the point when i did feel better. I realised that that the bumbag had been too tight so i took it off and carried it in my hand and ran with Ilkleybird (as I had dubbed her) right to the end. I'd stopped thinking about time until I saw the last marshall on the fell who shouted "1 minute from here!". One look at the watch and i thought he was taking the piss - my watch read 3:52 and that was well inside even my most optimistic hopes.

He wasn't though, and after a surreal run through someone's garden i sauntered across the line absolutely delighted. I still managed a 40 min descent, despite walking some of it. I felt great, my stomach hurt more than my legs and it became clear in that moment that I was on track for a good attempt at the BGR.

Finishing time 3:53:11.

This capped off a good week for me, summarised as follows:

Mon - 5M, 1600' - Moel Famau
Tues - 5M, 1600' - Moel Famau - again
Weds - 6M 2000' - guess where? Ran well..
Thurs - 4M road with A - easy pace
Fri and Sat - rest

Week summary - 44M, @10,000'

w/c 16th April - 10 weeks to go, the calm before the storm...

2007-04-23T04:50:00.000-07:00

Arrrrgh, arrrrgh, don't panic, don't panic - 10 weeks to go - that's 70 days. That's 70 days to become a finely tuned, prepared, fit, clued up, cool, calm and collected BGR'er.

Thing is, the BGR has seemed 'ages away' for, well, ages. Now, without exactly being round the corner, it's appreciably close to happening for me to start sorting out some practicalities as well as simply getting fit. I must re-contact my supporters and confirm arrangements this week. I must also ensure Paul's support is factored in. Time to get communicating.

It's also time to step up the training. The next few weeks are going to be tough.

A real mark of progress is that 10,000' a week is not leaving me with aching limbs and an all consuming tiredness. Looking back at this blog and my training log, that's a hell of a statement and shows that i've come a long way.

Touch wood i've been injury free despite this week having seen me put in some very concentrated climbing. Between 7.30pm on Thursday and 2pm on Friday, I climbed 8,600', with most of this climbing done as a run (I ran all 8 railway reps on Thursday night and ran most of the Sedbergh Hills route on Friday). I felt a little heavy legged on Saturday but nothing more. This is a sign that I can pick things up.

After the three peaks this coming Sunday, that's what I'll do. I'd like to take the coming week as a step back week, with a few days rest leading up to Sunday's race. Unlike other years, the 3Ps is not a target race, but confidence is a powerful ally and a good run there will really stoke me up for the tough weeks to come. If I can get near or even under 4 hours for the 3Ps I'll be delighted.

After this week, it's going to be really tough, so I look forward to knocking out 15,000' a week from now until the middle of June. In the meantine, I'll have an easier week and eagerly anticipate one of my favourite races.

This week's summary....

Monday - rest

Tuesday - RC session, 4 * 1km on triangle with steep climb/descent on side of Maiden Castle - felt good and ran well. Held off Andrew which is quite some going (esp as he ran 3.06 at weekend in London!). @1000', 7M

Weds - club committee meeting so could only squeeze in a quick 3M road run, but ran fast and felt quite fresh

Thurs - 8 railways, and incredibly, i ran all the way all 8 times. It was mentally quite tough, but each climb took about 5 mins and although it was barely a run, it was a run nonetheless. Ran for 40 mins afterwards to cool down. 2600' ascent, 8 miles

Fri - Sedbergh Hills race route - 16M 6000'. Trotted round without ever pushing it and felt great. 3hrs 30mins of really enjoyable running. Climbed very well and ran every step up both the big climbs (i.e. Arant Haw and up to the Calf from CP4). Felt fantastic, esp in second half. Only 30 mins slower than when i raced it flat out last August in similar conditions (cool, light wind, misty) which given the easy effort level i applied says plenty about my fitness and gives me a lot of confidence, esp as that was one of my better races.

Sat - In Nottingham

Sun - 8M, 1000' - very very very gentle walk with parents in Derbyshire. Not really sure whether it should count! It is said by many that a day's hillwalking is good training for the BGR but this is pushing it a bit! Needless to say, very easy indeed.

Weekly summary - 10,600' ascent, 42 miles

w/c 9th April – Yeah, but no, but yeah, but...

2007-04-16T00:56:00.000-07:00

Someone I haven't seen for a while asked me at Llantysilio how i was doing in preparing for the BGR. He meant, 'how is the training going?' or 'how fit are you?' I'm sure, but the poor sod tapped into a bit of a psycho-analysis of how upping the training seems to sap your ability to enjoy other things. I’m enjoying it all, but I do feel really flat and listless between runs.

Someone else collared me after the race when i was knackered and asked, "So Mark, BG training going well?" Puffing and panting, all i could come up with was, "Yeah, but no, but yeah..." Vicky Pollard would have been proud.

All this is starting to make me worry that the BGR training is taking its toll – not so much on my body (which seems to holding up well, touch wood) but on everything else. I’ve not been myself recently, but wouldn’t go as far as saying that I feel ‘down’ or anything – it’s a strange feeling that I’ve not encountered before. I’ve been a bit weary during marathon training before, but this is different.

I think more fun is required.

There are plenty of good things to report this week on the running front. I’m climbing well, getting stronger and the endurance is coming along nicely.

Monday – 4M, 1250’ ascent – Simple run from Cilcain up MF and down the CH route – felt really good. Up in 23 mins, didn’t push too hard

Tuesday – 6M, 1450’ ascent – Club session involving 3 railway climbs and some quick descending on Bulkeley Hill and from Peckforton Gap. Ran well up the railway which seemed to get easier each time. Ran all the way up on the third climb and felt great.

Weds – 7.5M, 700’ ascent – Run around Marford quarry and Gresford and felt a bit slow. Much of this was on the road.

Thurs – 6.5M, 800’ ascent – Club session with Dave – various reps. Felt slow to start with and seemed to rally later on. Perhaps I didn’t get any more tired rather than felt fresher? Either way, I ran ok but was happy to stop at the end!

Friday – 5.5M, 1530’ ascent – Ran Llangynhafal Loop route, measured it for Martin (who I saw en route!) with the GPS. Again, felt slow but steady.

Saturday – 11M, @4000’ ascent. Llantysilio. Marked the course with John Lindley early doors and then ran the race in very hot and windless conditions. It was stifling up there but I had a great race. I wasn’t at my best, but happy with 1.02 and 16th place. Pretty good with tired legs.

Sunday – 5M (inc warm up), hilly – Border League 6, Deeside. A bit farcical as no-one knew how far it was – the race was 4.3M and many of us were ready for 5.5M or 10k. Felt tired from the off but happy enough to finish 82nd and average 6.30 pace on a hilly course.

Weekly summary – 43.5 miles, @10,000’ ascent

This coming week I’ll work hard, but will take the weekend off. I might even go out with my old schoolmates in Nottingham and have several too many beers – now that sounds like fun.

w/c 2nd April - Inconveniences and obligations

2007-04-09T01:47:00.000-07:00

If the glass were half empty, then this week's training could be summarised by simply stating that it was a so-so period with just about enough climbing (9000') mixed in with a some quality and some rest. Such a summary would also come accompanied by a recommendation to get more climbing in, including some big climbs.

If the glass were half full, a description of this week would all be all about life throwing several reasons not to train at me that were somehow overcome, with each session representing some kind of well-seized opportunity to escape all manner of inconveniences and obligations.

The truth, as ever with these things, lies somewhere between the two, and so I finish this week thankful that I got a half-decent week in, mindful that I need to step it up from here and grateful that things at home and at work are managing to co-exist with training for the BGR - just about...

This week's training has been made all the more diffcult for not having access to my car, which is stuck in Stockport awaiting an expensive repair. This has meant sharing Alison's car, and so it's not been possible to get out to Moel Famau after work and get some mid-week climbing in. We've also had A's parents here helping us work on the house (which really needed it) so getting out over Easter was always going to be tricky.

Knowing all this on Monday, I was not hopeful for the coming week's training and the glass was decidedly half-empty looking.

Monday - rest - bloody car. Gorgeous day and I had to get out to the Peak District and get the thing recovered. All those hills and I'm stood around like a lemon waiting for the AA man.

Tuesday - RC session. Brown Knoll, Duckington, Maiden Castle, Kitty Stone, Bickerton, back along the road to the sandy car park, short fast reps, back to BK over the hills. 7 miles and about 800' ascent.

Weds - Spring 5 road race - couldn't get out to hills as was reliant on A's car, and she wanted to do this. I ran OK but heart was never in it. 31.40 - not quite a pb, but i didn;t give it everything. Encouraging fast last mile and a decent time for a half-hearted run on tired legs, but I couldn't help selfishly thinking about the climbing I could have been doing!

Thurs - 7 * railway reps, straight up and down. 700 metres of climbing, which is @2300'. Felt great, and bizarrely, ran further up the railway each time before walking. Much to my amazement, I ran all the way up on the 7th ascent, although it was a very slow run. I would have done more, but it got dark. The railway is an excellent way of cramming lots of steep climbing (and decending!) into a short space of time. I will use it more. Next time I'll do 8...

The crucial point here was that I went off on my own, away from the group, and did what I needed to do. As the BGR approaches, I will have to do this more and more. Consequently, I'm going to step away from taking the Tuesday sessions for a time. It is a little selfish, but I need to concentrate on getting my legs really attuned to steep climbing and I must not inflict that sort of training on those that will not benefit from it. I'm sure the club will share the load out and keep Tuesdays going.

Fri - A's folks here and so it was a day for decorating. It was a stunning day, and it was hard to keep looking out of the window! I had resigned myself to not getting out, esp as A's parents were working so hard on, well, everything! However, we reached a point in the early evening where we couldn't progress until the paint had dried so rather than just watch it, I threw some studs in my bag and shot off to MF for a quick hour's run. I felt guilty all the way there in the car, but as soon as I got out and ran it was a blessed relief. Work and home (and automobile) have all been stressful this week and boy did I need this run.

I ran up Moel Famau direct from Cilcain and felt very powerful - bounding up the really steep steps halfway up. I met another runner up there who was new to these parts. He wanted to get back to Cilcain so i showed him the nicer descent via the Clywdian Hills route - so that was my good deed for the day. All in, about 4 miles and 1200' ascent.

I wore the mudclaw O330's and they were really uncomfortable. It seems the hard packed stuff 'pushes' the studs back up into your feet and i got a nasty bruise on the underside.

Sat - no running, loads of housey stuff to do. Living room looks great now!

Sun - Long run, 14M and 5000' in just over three hours on Clwydian Hills. Started in bottom car park and ran straight up, descended towards top car park and picked up Hotfoot route down and up to the hill fort (ran all the way up that bugger) and then down and up the gully (walked small stretch of that) before visiting the summit again. Then dropped down on bridleway to Clwyd side and ran along the bottom to Llangynhafal and climbed back up the ridge from there. Back along the ridge (saw Steve Bellis plus lost lamb!) and followed Clwydian Hill route down that lovely decent and then back up the grooved path to the ridge. Ascended MF again (saw Steve again!) and then dropped back to car.

Was back home for 12, which was useful as got loads of housey stuff done in the pm.

Wore Swoops (very comfy). Also took new Foretrex GPS. Tried marking the summit of MF with the GPS and getting it to 'take' me back there later. It worked well and I look forward to getting Paul to give me a masterclass (oh, and all of his BGR summits and landmarks data!).

So in the end, I got a good week in despite not having my car and having to get shed loads done in the house. No complaints, but I do need to try and get more done as the weeks progress.

Week summary - 9300', 38 miles

w/c 26th March - time to take stock

2007-04-02T14:05:00.000-07:00

I think i'm probably half way through the BGR training now, at least in terms of days and weeks. I'm not fooling myself though; there are many more miles ahead than have passed.

Still, with the BGR recently recced in one outing and with the onset of some seriously springlike weather, it's probably not a bad time to reflect on how things are going and what I have learned. It's also a good time to challenge a few of the assumptions that I've made about preparing for this round, not least in relation to its impact on others.

In no particular order, here's a few rules of thumb that have come to be part of life when preparing for the BGR:

Build up to the big training weeks
Stretch often, but don't overdo it
Eat plenty of good food
See a physio regularly, even if you have no obvious symptoms - just get an 'MOT'
Check shoes regularly and replace when needed - both road and fell
Rest one day/week and slip in an occasional easier week
Slip in some cross training now and again, esp upper body stuff
Listen to youy body and don't be afraid to back off, esp during a tough session with your peers
Warm up and warm down
Don't neglect speedwork...
...but focus on feet climbed rather than distance run
Long days are KEY, without them you will fail
Practice vaious foods on the hill, and perfect the art of muching as you climb
Don't try any new foods on the day
Recce, recce and recce some more, esp in bad weather and at night where needed
Stay positive - the mind is a seriously powerful thing
Get out in all weathers
Get plenty of sleep

And most importantly, as this week in particular has taught me,

The BGR takes an unusual amount of time to prepare for and you can be forgiven some extra indulgence - but it is not an excuse to neglect the needs of loved ones.

(Alison's 'admin error' re the FLM will seem funny after she's breezed around the course at Stratford, but she needed more support than she got last week, and that was because of this BGR business. I'll be putting that right this coming week.)

Generally, things on the training front are going well. No DOMS after last week's efforts and a good run at Kinder Downfall, despite tired legs and sore feet.

A feature of this training week was lots of running but no long runs - a shift towards more quality. Long runs are vital but I think this was a canny week's training after the long days of last week which has provided a good balance.

Mon - rest

Tues - RC - 6 miles. Off road with the club, took it easy and let others do the efforts. Recovery run. right calf niggly. Probably about 600'

Weds - Straight up and down Moel Famau from lower car park. Saw Steve Bellis. Up and back inside half an hour - felt strong but took it easy - calf still a bit funny. 4M 1000'

Thursday - RC - 8 miles. Felt great - Harthill to Raw Head via steep slope and steps. Onto cornfield and some triangles there - felt OK. Ran back to club on TT route nice and steady. Probably 700'

Friday - Moel Famau and back up the ridge from the Clywd side. About 6 miles and 1600' - one hour. Felt good all the way round, calf much better.

Sat - 9 miles and 2800' - Horseshoe pass along ridge to end and back again. Ran all the way - getting better and running the steeper climbs. Pushed hard up Moel y Gamelin

Sun - KINDER DOWNFALL - 10 miles, 2500'. Ran 1:26? Around 60th from 250 - a good result for me, more so on tired legs. Fast decent hurt the calf so i backed off, which probably copst me a minute ot 2. Wanted to run with Martin on the way down but felt safer preserving the calf - was pleased to pass him earlier as he's a strong guy but he flew past me on that runnable section. C'est la vie.

Have also bid for a GPS (foretrex) and bought a Myo XP headtorch - quite like the kit buying bit of the BGR prep!

Weekly total - probably about 9000' and 35 miles - but plenty of qualty in there

w/c 19th March - Back with a bang!

2007-03-26T04:03:00.000-07:00

Hmmm...funny how you lose faith suddenly to find it completely and defiantly restored!

I started this week feeling low after a poor run at Edale. I knew it was down to illness and that I should have been happy to get round in such bad conditions, but i was not happy and felt that i was just not the kind of guy that could race well on the fells. To add to that, my calves were tight as anything after completing that race in very lightweight fellshoes (Innov8 Rocklite 285s) which offer very little support (even less than Walshes). Not good.

So, I rested Monday, had a short run up Moel Famau after work on Tuesday before the club AGM . This was painful and i worried that the calves would 'go' at any moment. Soooo frustrating - maybe the BGR is a pipe dream and I'm wasting everyone's time. I was still sore on Weds so backed off then too.

And so it was that on Thursday evening I found myself driving up to the Lakes with sore calves and a dip in confidence. I met Nick and Paul, we had food and few beers in Rosthwaite and we each hoped for some fine weather. I hoped more than anything that i would not get injured and tear a calf again...

Well I needn't have worried. It's not as if i was flying or anything, but throughout the whole weekend I felt like my legs were just able to keep steadily moving. Provided I went at no more than slightly quicker than BGR pace, I felt as good after six hours as I did after one. This, of course, is the idea and it was reassuring that i was able to just keep moving at a good pace all day.

Friday started nervously, with a tight right calf and a stiff climb up Yewbarrow with Paul and Nick. As we moved over those leg 4 peaks in wonderful weather i felt the calf actually easing and gained more and more confidence. By the time we reached Kirk Fell, and were joined there by Steve and Sarah, I felt great and the 4,500' of climbing done to that point seemed easy. We ran on to Great Gable and over to the end of leg four at Honister. As we sat having some welcome food, i felt fresh and despite the calf (which still hurt), confident too. As we set off up the long pull up Dale Head, i felt like the day had just started - a strange feeling given the amount we had just done. Steve, Sarah and Nick left Paul and I at the summit of Dale Head for their run down to the valley. Paul and I carried on through leg five and i really started to enjoy myself. Descending towards Robinson from Hindsarth, I felt a real flush of confidence. It wasn;t a surge of energy or anything, and I didn't start sprinting all of a sudden - in fact the pace stayed the same - but I felt that moving steadily and consistently in the mountains for long periods was something I could do. This won't win me any races, but it just seemed like my legs were able to cope with climbing and descending on the fells time and again - which of course is just as well.

By the time we reached the road head at Newlands and the 5.5 mile run into Keswick on the road, I felt a bit weary for the first time, and the calf was still tight. We didn;t have road shoes available as we will do on the day, and so it was either running those lanes in fell shoes or bare feet. That was the toughest part of the whole weekend, those 5.5 miles seeming to go on for ever. I'm seriously hoping that the road section will actually be easier on the BGR itself given that i'll have road shoes on i'll have no rucksack. Paul had better shoes on and seemed far more comfortable. As it was, we walked the uphill bits and jogged the rest. With about half a mile to go to Keswick, my right calf really started to hurt and so we walked in. As it was we were still well under the schedule for that section and well over an hour up across legs four and five, and this was at a really easy pace. Chips with Paul and then a pub meal with Paul and Nick (who awaited us in Keswick) made for a good evening, despite only managing one pint.

Friday's stats - 23 miles, 9500' ascent.

Saturday saw the addition of Dave Sykes and Andrew Gooda to our number for today's objective - completion of legs 1 and 2. This meant running with fit lads with fresh legs which did worry me a little. I think Paul and Nick were similarly worried as there was plenty of talk, rightly so, about "taking it easy" and "reigning them in"!!! I was concerned about how my legs were going to be after such a mammoth day yesterday.

As it was, we ascended Skiddaw in regulation time, which included a couple of little stops. The weather was terrific. We met a BGR-finisher up there who offered some advice and was a very decent chap. He did his night section over the Dodds, neccesitating a 6pm start which i'm not convinced about, esp as he said he lost half an hour! Still, food for thought...

Nick left us atop of Skiddaw as he was in danger of exceeding the terms and conditions of his weekend pass out. He had to return to the valley to buy Alison some shoes. I had a good laugh to myself at that as we descended towards Calva, finding the Hare Crag trod with no diffculty. I must do that section in the dark soon to practice finding it then... We caught (and passed) another BGR aspirant out on a recce on top of Calva and picked our way down through the heather towards the Caldew. Paul seemed to be struggling with his knee and was already contemplating binning things after leg one when disaster struck. He turned his ankle quite badly and was forced to limp back to Keswick to shop. Paul and I are thinking of merging our BGR ambitions and so I felt his frustration as he limped off, consoleing myself that ankle turns can heal quickly and always seem worse than they really are.

That left the fresh-legged Andrew and Dave plus myself to slog up Blencathra, which we did on a great line at a pretty decent pace. Despite a 10 min stop for Paul, we were inside the 23-hour schedule on that section. I started to find it hard to hang onto those two but not to move at the pace i knew was required so i was happy to let them go. I was pleased with the confidence and self-knowledge that doing this demonstrates - it started to feel like it was coming together.

A quick butty on the summit of Blencathra and we bumped down the Hall's Fell ridge to Threlkeld. Andrew was v strong on the technial ground and Dave was quick on the grassier slopes. I was fair to middling at both, desceding at the right rate throughout. We breezed through Threlkeld without a break and moved onto leg 2 and Clough Head.

Moving from the sunny south slopes on Blencathra to the cool and breezy northern slopes of Clough Head (a favourite of paragliders) marked a change in mood and some degree, conditions. It seemed darker and felt colder and breezier. It is a slog at the best of times and today felt no different. We all quietened down a little, donned windproofs (even brass-monkey Sykes) and plodded on. I was OK though and easily reconciled the change in vibe by the fact that it was far worse when Peter and I came this way in November, and it wasn't much cop during my last visit with Paul. I was rejoicing in the blue skies and perfect visibility.

From Clough Head onwards I felt comfortable. If i could get this far today without feeling bad after a big day like yesterday, then there would be no problems. The sun got lower and the light looked fabulous - I would not have wanted to have been anywhere else. As we moved towards Helvellyn over its many subsidiary tops, Andrew and Dave started to slow. It occurred to me that I have the motivation to bang out days like this, but these guys were supporting me and would probably crack before I did. Each of these lads had their own targets, e.g. Andrew's impending London Marathon and Dave's three-peaks, and I didn;t want to scupper those. I also knew that they would be reluctant to back out umprompted so casually suggested to Andrew on Raise that I would knock the last few peaks off on my tod if he and Dave wanted to get down to the car early (and warm it up for me!). Andrew said he'd see how he felt, and Dave bit my hand off, making Andrew's choice easier. So, when we reached Grisedale Tarn, I set off up that long and loose climb up Fairfield on my own, wondering how i would cope. I was very grateful for their support, which amounted to 25 miles and 10,000' - not bad going without the BGR training i've doing, and without the motivation and self-interest I had in putting in a long day.

I felt very good when climbing FF - it seemed daunting to start with but you just ease into these big climbs and they soon fly by. I could not get "Put your hands up for Detroit...I love this city"...out of my head, despite the fact that it is shite. I guess it was something to do with the cadence of my uphill plod, perhaps, or maybe tiredness-induced dilerium. Eitherway, it helped and FF appeared 4 mins inside schedule time from Dollywaggon and all was well in the world.I turned west and descended into a low sun, with the peaks of Lakeland silhouetted in front of me - it was a stunning sight. I felt bouyant as I crammed a handful of yoghurt coated peanuts and raisins in and ran down towards Seat Sandal, the final peak of the day.

I got up and down that with no drama (still went a bit too right like i did when with Paul) and was feeling so very pleased after 2 big days. I felt hungry and really wanted chips. As a lovely touch to end a great day, Andrew walked from the car to come and carry my rucksack for me for the last few yards - a small gesture perhaps, but a very thoughtful one which given the big day just completed, went down very well.

The chips, sausage and gravy (plus tea!) was greasy and great - it barely touched the sides. Andrew and Dave left Paul and I to get showered, get out, eact more grub and drink 3 lovely pints to end a great day - for me at least. Next morning would tell us how Paul's ankle would be...

Saturday's stats - 29 miles and 11,500' ascent

Sunday and a bad start. Paul's ankle was purple and yellow, and twice its normal size. No way he was going to be able to manage what remained of the BGR that weekend - i.e. leg three. Now was not the time to be selfish either, so we hatched a plan where Paul could take an easy walk back to the car and I could cover the second half (bit more actually). So, we bused into Langdale and I picked up leg three where i left it when i was last up in February, i.e. top of Bowfell.

I got up Bowfell from Langdale in just over an hour, and felt bloody good despite two big days out. As expected, this section was hard to run on and i found it much harder to beat the schedule despite feeling good. I climbed well but descended so poorly, often at a walk on the very rocky and bouldery ground. I need to remember that this section is not a place to look to pick up time and not to be surprised if i lose a little around here. Apart from time lost in going round via Foxes Tarn, i was pretty much slightly ahead of schedule up to Great End, on Schedule to Scafell PIke and a bit slow on the descent from Scafell, which was the first time i;d ever gone that way to Wasdale. Still, a good four hours out and a great end to a brilliant weekend, esp when Paul arrived at the cars 10 mins after me in good health.

Sunday stats - 10 miles, 5400' ascent

Monday morning - Legs aren;t sore, just a little tired. I bet DOMS is in the post though!

Week summary - 65 miles; 27000' ascent

w/c 12th March - Running on empty

2007-03-19T01:32:00.000-07:00

What a truly frustrating week.

I've been laid low from Tuesday to Saturday with a nasty little stomach bug, which basically meant that I absorbed hardly anything from the food I ate, with most of it coming, well, straight back out! Alan at work described my reason for absence from work on Wednesday to all enquirers as being 'a case of the raging sh*ts', which unfortunately sums it up nicely. Well, perhaps not 'nicely'.

I tried to stay hydrated, and used Diarolylte to get some salts in. One slight silver lining is that some have recommended useing Diarolylte during the BGR if it's hot, and at least now I know I can tolerate it! But I lost 4 lbs in weight (my wedding ring kept falling off on thursday!) and it clearly affected my running at the weekend too.

Here's how the week panned (!) out...

Monday - Ran up Moel Famau after work. Felt great! Straight up from Cilcain, the steep way and ran every step very strongly. Came down the Clywdian Hills route - 40 mins all in.

Tuesday - Started feeling tired and poorly Tuesday morning and spent most of the evening on the loo. Not good at all.

Weds - Off work sick, terrible stomach cramps and just shattered.

Thurs - Still not quite right, but a little better? Went for a 3M potter around Rossett and just about got back in time - silly boy...

Fri - No, still not well, stomach still awful so decided to fast for 24 hours to kill this bug off.

Sat - Felt better and contemplated Edale. Decided to do an hour on Moel Famau as a 'test'. If i could do that easily, i would run. Set off from Cilcain and did an hour circuit of about 6M and 1500' climbing at an easy pace. Felt very easy and ran the climbs well. Appetite returned, starting eating again at about 3pm. Had evening out with Cath and friends, still felt a bit rough.

Sunday - 21M 4500' - Edale Skyline. What an EPIC! The weather was extremely poor - with very high winds, freezing temperatures, blizzards (blizzards i ask you!) and some very near sounding thunder. Ran something like 4.15 (not sure exactly) - well down on last year. I actually started well, although felt a bit sick for the first hour. Despite the wind, i got to Mam Nick in 2 hours dead, 15 mins ahead of last year. After that though, the wheels gradually loosened before coming off at Jacobs Ladder, with some distance still to go. Dave caught me up soon enough and although we ran together for what must have been an hour, he pulled away when i had used up the fumes and was running on willpower only.

The last 5 miles of running was a strange sensation because my legs we not heavy or sore, but there was just no fuel. I took gels and some lucozade, but it's clear that my body was missing that base that loading up in advance gives you.

Other lessons from that day - OMM waterproof very good, wear a tight hat, not one with a 'turn up' as it comes down and you can't see - oh and wear really thick gloves on days with strong wind and rain/snow even if they seem at odds with all your lightweight gear. I started showing signs of frostnip on my thumb and middle finger at times and had to keep massaging them as i ran. Horrible.

Monday morning and feeling tired now...

Summary - 35 miles, @7,300' ascent

w/c 5th March - a hard, easy week!

2007-03-12T05:45:00.000-07:00

I'd like to have been able to look back at this week and say that I backed off to provide a little recovery before returning strongly and training harder still. The truth I did less milage, ran less frequently and did less climbing than in previous weeks and am sat here on a Monday lunchtime stiff and sore. How?! Well, the answer, and the lesson concerns cross training. On Saturday I played some squash and badminton, things I rarely do, and made the usual runner's assumption that being fit for the fells and the roads makes you fit and strong for anything physical. If i can knock off a stage of the BGR and feel as fresh as a daisy, what harm is an hours squash and an hours badminton going to do..?

Imagine my chagrin when I awoke on Sunday morning at 6.30 to go out and run on the fells to find that my hamstrings and glutes registered a soreness that i recognised only from having run the London marathon or the Jura fellrace! Quads and calves were fine but still I walked like Douglas Barder after a night on the pop. Strangely, I ran OK on Sunday - as if the bits of my body that did running were fine and the bits that did hurt weren't made any worse.

Considering how sore my calves were last Monday and Tuesday (and still a bit on Thursday) after the half marathon last Sunday, it seems that this week holds a lesson - training for running on the fells makes you good at running on the fells.

Here's how this reduced week's activity actually shaped up...

Monday - Rested, legs tired from Haweswater half

Tuesday - 8M, easy run out with the club, calves VERY tight. Was worried about getting injured so I let the group so the efforts and pootled round on my own.

Weds - Rest, plus some stretching

Thursday - 9M, including 2 1.2km efforts and 6 400m efforts. Worked hard and calves tightened up towards the end. Ran well and was at the head of the group. 400m efforts were tough.

Fri - rested

Sat - 3M run after 2 hours of badminton, squash and probably an hour's cycling.

Sun 8M, 2500' - Run on Bowscale Fell and Bannerdale Crags. Initial heather slope was a tough to get any rhythm on, so much so that I descended to the valley and climbed a different slope. Ran well once on the top. Didn't feel too pushed at all. Out for 2 hours - but had to get back to group. Weather windy and misty but dry. Felt a bit dissatsified afterwards.

Totals - 28M, @3100'?

Will do better next week, honest...

w/c 26th February - progressing nicely

2007-03-05T01:19:00.000-08:00

This was a good week, showing the benefit of an easier week before it. It also shows that you do need to endure a couple of week's tiredness before moving through to a higher level of fitness.

It's been a mixed week in terms of activity. Fellrunning, road efforts on the hills and flat and to cap it all, an impromptu road race.

Also learned a few things about food and route choices on the BGR.

Monday - 7M slow - up the hill to Llay and back - felt very slow to start with and picked up toward the end - a proper recovery run.

Tuesday - 9M - club session. 2 Burwardsley figure of 8's. Always a tough workout, esp on tired legs. Ran hard and well, couldn't hold AG who ran very well, but he was not too far ahead all the way round and i think i even gained on him on the 2nd effort - good endurance.

Weds - 7M pace run with A - ran at A's marathon race pace (7.30/mile) at Wrexham IE. Boring and neither of us could be arsed, but gets me out on a Weds and it's good to help Alison out given that i'm always buggering off to do fellruns.

Thurs - 9M - club session. 12 * 300m (!) ran well, with speed of all reps very consistent and at about 5.30 pace. Again, no holding Andrew or Peter - they were off! Then 3 efforts of about a mile of or so which were hard and I was a little off the pace, but felt good at the end.

Fri - Rest - up to Center Parcs

Sat - 15M and 5300' ascent, BGR leg one with Paul Miller. Starting at the Moot hall, I went the 'normal' way and Paul went up via Carl Side to see which was quickest. We both went at an easy BGR-esque pace. I got to the top in 79 mins without breaking sweat and moving very easily to find Paul had been there 5 mins! His route was just under a mile shorter acc to our GPSs but his was steeper and he said he had to work hard whereas I didn't. So, is the 5 mins or so worth it? Given i was still 7 mins under A 23 hour schedule and was 2 mins inside a 22 hour schedule it mighth be that the extra effort Paul had to endure on the steeper slopes might have cost him later on. We stayed together after that and did Calva 7 mins under and Blencathra 6 mins under. A bitty descent off Halls Fell was done about on schedule. This resulted in a leg one time of 3:44, which is exactly on 22 hour schedule (thuis included some stopping to check routes). It felt easy and i was fresh - so no worries there.

Foodwise - dried mangos (fair trade ones from Somerfield) were brilliant.

Sun - Haweswater Half Marathon - 1:28:58. Rain , rain and tired legs at the start means that although this was not a pb, it was still a respectable run. Happy to get under 1:30 with this week in my legs! Turns out there was nearly 1000' climbing in this race acc to Runners' World so very happy with time considering state of legs and weather - a real confidence booster.

Totals - 61 miles, probably about 7500'

w/c 19th February - an easier week, a sting in the tail

2007-02-25T06:48:00.000-08:00

The last 2 weeks have been tiring. Whilst it is satisfying to know I'm getting stronger, I feel a nagging need to be able to demonstrate this. Running tired means I'm off the pace when training with my peers, which is part of the deal I know but it doesn't stop me from being frustrated.

The only answer of course is to back of a little before picking up the training again. Such backing off has therefore been the feature of this past week and it has paid dividends both physically and mentally....

Mon - My 34th birthday. Chilled out with Alison, and very enjoyable it was too. Almost got through the day guilt free but had a slight tinge of 'rest days are for wusses'-itis late on.

Tues - Speed session at club. 4 * 400m, 2 * 800m, 4 * 400m. Despite still having heavy legs from the previous couple of weeks, I ran like a train! I was at the head of the group and stayed there, pulling away a bit more towards the end. This was great, the first good run I felt I'd had for a while. Rest days - they do work you know!

Weds - 4M easy - lunchtime at work. Cantered around 4M loop at work.

Thurs - Physio session - Sarah marvelled yet again at my inflexibility and pummelled my calves, quads, hams and glutes into submission. There were a few knots to get rid of but got a clean bill of health! I think 4-6 weekly sessions will help prevent injury.

Fri - More rest!? What are you, some kind of big girl?! Saving myself for Saturday.

Sat - Welsh 3000'ers - well two thirds of them! 21 miles and @7500' ascent. Paul Miller, Pete Taylor and I got up very early and travelled to Penypass intent on doing the Welsh 3000ers. We got up onto Snowdon via the Pyg Track by about 9.30 and set off towards Carnedd Ugain and Crib Goch. Apart from a "Taylor diversio(tm)", i.e. more rocky and scrambly than necessary(!), we got to and came off Crib Goch in wet but improving weather. By the time we'd run to Elidir Fawr the clag had come down. From there on in, the rain inched slowly from showery bursts to a persistant pour. We picked our way over the Glyders and, faced with driving rain across Tryfan, decided to run to Capel Curig to along the old road. The carneddau will have to wait.

I had mixed feelings about this at the time - one part of me wanted to train myself to carry on regardless, and i would have been happy to do that. But there were two others there and Paul in particular was not keen abouty proceeding further. This made the decision very straightforward, but there was not too much dissapointment from me at the time! The good thing is, I felt strong at the end, like i could have easily gone on. The legs were a little heavy but not sore, no pain and my mind was not dulled to the prospect of more rain and effort.

Had a night in Helyg with Pete, Paul and Jen (who very kindly picked us up from Capel and prepared some good food for us) and sunk a few well deserved ales that night in Capel...

Sun -Rest, after mighty breakfast in Pete's Eats. Came home and chilled with Alison - including a visit to the cinema and sorting out of housey stuff. Feel quite satisfied and ready for a bigger week, including two hard days next weekend...

Time to reflect on some lessons from yesterday.
a) Take waterproof gloves. They are bulky but worth it - my hands were painfully cold with windstoppers on which are useless when wet.
b) Eat on the climbs - and don;t eat with too much urgency as you'll not be able to swallow the food - you'll just chew it for ages!
c) Remember savory and salty foods. Sugary energy food is fine for an energy boost, but a sandwich of tuna and loads of mayo to make it mushy is good on the big climbs.
d) Don't cram the whole day in your head. I was relaxed (and therefore moving efficiently) when thinking about the next summit, but tense when thinking about the whole day. Just tackle it a bit at a time.
e) Wear sealskinz socks for the boggy bits. Cold and numb feet makes for potential ankle twisting territory.

Given the lessons from yesterday, I now think it was a success, not a failure.

Week total - 32 miles and 7500' ascent - easy week

w/c 12th feb - Getting stronger, getting tired

2007-02-19T06:14:00.000-08:00

This week I've started to feel tired. The last two weeks have seen me run fast and free with the benefit of the recent training kicking in. Now, I'm going through that tired phase that I recognise from marathon training - the February malaise! The dark nights, the feeling of winter dragging and the not-quite-imminence of spring combined with lots of running on top of lots of running before lead to something of a 'wall'.
It's showing in my running, but the endurance seems to be coming along well - i.e. I'm knackered at the start but am not more knackered when I've finished! A good sign? A glimmer of hope? Probably...
Also finding it hard to concentrate at work - a combination of some dissapointing developments at work, tiredness and pre-occupation from training and some issues at home (not least getting the place decorated!). Am typing this at work when I should be working in fact! It's hardly what I would call a tough time, esp after such a fantastic weekend away in the Lakes with the runners, but it's a slightly tougher patch which i know will subside.

Last week's training was good, but lacked some quality...

Mon - 3M easy on road. Heavy legged after big run on MF the day before.
Tues - 9.5m steady at club. Hilly route (Brown Knoll) and pushed it on one effort - which saw me run strongly up the hill (but was goosed afterwards!).
Weds - 7M - trail run with A on Maiden Castle, Harthill and Raw Head - about 1000' climbing. Lovely and sunny, but tired.
Thurs - 9M - 12 killer hill reps to the grit bin plus a run up Harthill. I was really slow although didn't feel like I couldn't run, just that I couldn't run fast. 1000' ascent? Got round OK.
Fri - Rest - was actually planning to go for a fell run, which would have finished me off!
Sat - 14M, 3500' - walk from hut with Running Club to Clough Head and the Dodds. Wonderful day, easy paced and nice to re-recce that section. Great weather.
Sun - 11M, 4600' - 4hr 15min fell run with Steve, Pete, Nick and Sarah. Was feeling rough at start, too much food! I now know I cannot run with sausage bacon and eggs in me! Felt bad for an hour - stomach and head pounding, plus legs were still tired. Got better and lovely weather meant that BGR recce from High Raise to Bowfell was useful and enjoyable. Feel like I need some physio and an easier week! Good sign is that even when feeling ill and rough, I could move at a reasonable pace!!

Week total, 54M and 10000' ascent.

w/c 5th Feb More training, loads more climbing

2007-02-12T06:13:00.000-08:00

Another good week, with 2 hill days (and 2 rest days).
Monday - brilliant day off. Ran for 5hrs in Snowdonia taking in all the Glyderau. Worked out at about 11 miles and 5500'. SLower going on the rocky stuff around Tryfan, but really enjoyed it. Dried mango seemed to work a treat.
Tuesday - 9M felt very heavy legged so ran round the hill session i took steadily and let others do the efforts. Tried one effort and realised that was silly, but running steadily was not a problem.
Weds - rest day (club committee)
Thursday - 6M club session, short sprints on the snowy field! Very hard efforts and ran well - fastest in the group.
Friday - Rest - just plain busy
Sat - XC was cancelled so i did an 8.5 mile run up to Eccleston to meet Alison who was doing her marathon long run training. About 7.45 pace
Sun - Another big hill day - managed to find 4500' climbing and 14 miles around Moel Famau. It's hard running long there because it's a bit contrived, but also it's so runnable, so there is no respite. Only the gully provided a short chance to walk. This is excellent training though. Melting snoe made whole run feel like it was through a giant puddle!

Totals - 48.5 miles, @11,000' ascent.

Looking forward to weekend in the lakes next week - a big climbing week. Have got Friday off to get a long one in before going walking/running with the group. Superb.

w/c 29th Jan - Another good week

2007-02-05T06:12:00.000-08:00

Monday - rest day
Tuesday - Great club session - 2 v hilly fig of 8's at Burwardsley. I was out in front - ran really well. 9 miles all in.
Weds - 7 miles with Alison, briskish pace at Wrexham Ind Est. Av 7.20 pace felt a bit ill (stomach) but wore off.
Thursday - 10 miles at the club - really hard efforts which were good, but then i was jaded for the next part of the session. Flat running so no chance to show off progress on the hills!
Fri - Easy 4 mile plod - probably junk miles but good to get work issues out of ny head,
Sat - 10M 3100' climbing - jogged around the Clywdian Hills route. Felt good on a lovely cold day. Views tremenous. Ate Rocky bars and those Ainsley Harriot wafer things - Rocky bars seem to be winning through.
Sun - 7.5M (inc 6M road race - 37.19) - Borders League at West Cheshire. Finished 65th from 263 in closed race series - my best ever position, which is commendable after yesterday's (in fact, this week's) efforts. 2nd in for the club - not bad going (a few quick uns missing mind!).
Total for the week - 48miles, @4000' climbing (held off on climbing due to big week next week, with hill days on Monday and Sunday).
Also, Jen Taylor has booked us the Achille Ratti climbing hut for use during the BGR - fantastic. Having a hut on Dunmail Raise, actually en route, is terrific. Jen has also booked a hut and organised (with Sarah) the food for the forthcoming February weekend in the Lakes to recce and enjoy! Nice one Jen!
Have emailed everyone (bar Ian) who i;ve got set out to do fell support. Some have already come back saying they are happy with their leg.
It's starting to come together now, and I'm running better than I've ever run. Time to get those long days in.

w/c 22nd Jan - A good training week

2007-01-29T06:11:00.000-08:00

w/c 22nd January 2007
A good training week this week, plenty of running, although perhaps could use a little more speedwork to keep me sharp...
Monday - 5.5 steady, felt heavy legged after excellent run on the Carneddau the day before
Tuesday - 7, 3*hill loops at a fast pace at uppoer Burwardsley with the group. Felt fast one i warmed up and was quick during the reps, one of the quickest in the group, esp on the hilly bits.
Weds - 7, with Alison at Wrexham Ind Estate, 7.20 pace, felt very comfortable
Thurs - had a rest
Fri - BGR leg 2 with Paul Miller. 15M/5500' Cloud to 2000', plenty of snow and not the quickest conditions. Ran the leg very easily and 9 mins inside the 23 hours schedule at a real canter. Felt like i could have gone much quicker. Lost a little time on Fairfield, probably due to slow slope off Dollywaggon (couldn't run any of it, very slipperly snow).
Went a bit daft for a few mins off Nethermost Pike summit!
http://www.mania4mountains.nildram.co.uk/BGR/Nethermost.doc
Could have also decended a bit better off Seat Sandal, although we were quick. Lesson is to go onto the wets cairn and decend from there on a straight line down the nose of the ridge.
http://www.mania4mountains.nildram.co.uk/BGR/Seat%20Sandal.doc
Foodwise - choc coated sesame snacks good, as were mini Go-Natural bars. Rocky bars also marvellous.
Time vs schedule - http://www.mania4mountains.nildram.co.uk/BGR/BGR%20Sec2.htm (c/o Paul Miller)

Sat - 4M Bought new fell shoes in Newcastle (Rocklite 285s) and did short trail run in Holywell Dene.
Sun - 15M with Alison, slow on the roads. Felt a bit sluggish but ended with a decent pace.
Total - 54miles, 6000' ascent all in

w/c Jan 15th 2007 Time to start training.

2007-01-21T06:10:00.000-08:00

Having decided to do the BGR back in September, i went and got injured. Now i'm back and fit and will start updating this thing...
Had a good training week this week:
Mon - 6M brisk pace, hilly road course
Tues - Day off, had some physio.
Weds - 6M easy pace - let the physio settle in
Thurs - 7M - hill reps at Running Club - felt strong and at head of the group
Fri - 4M - steady lunchtime run at work - very busy so glad to get out
Sat - Cross Country race - Wrexham 5.5M. 3rd in for the club, ran pretty well and beat folks from other clubs that have beaten me in the recent past. Didn't run at full throttle as wanted to save something for tomorrow. Boring flat and not very muddy course.
Sun - 16M, 5200 feet of climbing, 4hrs 10mins. Very wintry run on the Carneddau. Aber-Moel Winion-Drosgl-descent and climb to Yr Elen-Carnedd Llewellyn-Foel Grach-Carnedd Uchaf-Foel Fras-Drum-Yr Orsedd peaks and back to Aber.
Bloody snowy, haily (?) and windy above 3000' - ice and snow everywhere, white out for a time relying on compass work. Good to get a real tough day in the hills under my belt which was more than a test of fitness - i.e. also a test of mountaincraft. I didn;t put a foot wrong all day - made some good decisions and ran well. It was blowing at 90mph plus and minus 15 windchill on top! Also got pinned down for 15 mins by a vicious hailstorm which pinged my legs something rotten.
Foodwise - i didn't eat much, but ate some butter flapjack. It does perk you up, but it's 'bitty' and bits try and work their way into your lungs! Much coughing follows when trying to eat it whilst slogging up a big climb! Had a 'Rocky' bar in the Foel Grach shelter - yum! Will try dried fruit next time... It's important to get food choices sorted for the day itself. Must try and eat more (easier when you have support and people to pass things to you - didn;t really want to stop today).
Feel satisfied that after some physio, which slowed me up for 2 or 3 days, i'm running well and feeling good. Today was about what Richard Asquith referred to as 'fell hardness' as well as physical trainng, and i feel that a solo day on the tops at a good pace in those conditions augers well.
Week summary:
45 miles. Probably about 6000' climbing. 1 Physio session.

All systems not quite go...

2006-09-15T16:00:00.000-07:00

15th September 2006

The decision has been made, one or two people have now been told... I've decided to devote 6-8 months of training, and <24 hours of committment, determination, pain and effort into completing the Bob Graham Round. I'm aiming for 30th June/1st July 2007.
Notice the word completing. This is not an 'attempt', at least not in my head. It's clear from previous BGRers (not least Richard Asqwith of FITC fame) that it's as much in the head as the legs, especially for a mid-packer such as me. So it's not an attempt - let's get the frame of mind right from the start.
I'll have to sacrifice races i would normally do and the Borders League will have to take a hit. Hope the club can still get teams out. I'll be an emergency runner from Jan onwards I think. I'll still do the results though...
I suspect my running/work/life balance will be out of kilter too, although this will be temporary. Alison's tolerance and support is going to be a key factor in my success; this is going to cost me an arm and a leg's worth of Karen Millen purchases!
So in the meantime, i'll rest this torn calf, and when i resume, i'll traing for the OMM. After that, the BGR training starts - an 8 month programme of climbing and climbing and recceing and climbing.
This blog will record the highs, lows, the exciting news and the boring details. I'm sure it will make for interesting reading when it's all over, for me at least.
Good luck!