Final Two Days in the Lakes

Monday 8th April 2013

Today was a 6 mile run, again up to Hampsfell and around. I ran down through Grange-Over-Sands and then up through Eggerslack Woods to the Hospice, where today I went inside and read the inscriptions on the wall and then climbed up on the roof (via the staircase) and had a good look around. Early morning and misty but still great views either towards the Coniston mountains or across the Estuary towards the Pennines. Today I just took it steady after yesterdays harder run, so once I had spent a few minutes admiring the views I  completed a loop and arrived back with the family as they were stirring and getting out bed.

Looking Towards the Coniston Fells

Towards the Pennines

Tuesday 9th April 2013

I love these types of runs. The "exploring run" I call it. We had spent the day out with the boys and then on the way home, Cara stopped the car and I quickly got changed into my running kit in a field gateway (much to the amusement of our boys because a number of sheep and tiny lambs came running over) before setting off with map in hand to follow footpath to complete a 7 mile run.

The first part of the run was up the road before joining footpaths after half a mile and across fields and then a bridleway and gradually descending to 197 feet, before turning left off the bridleway and up towards Hampsfell. This was quite a stiff climb reaching the top at 712 feet 1.1 miles later and my friend Hampsfell Hospice after 3 1/2 miles. I continued along the Fell towards Grange Fell Golf club and them through a few more fields before dropping down into Grange-Over-Sands and running along the Promenade before returning to the house.

My last run before driving back to Cornwall the following day.

Runkeeper

Buttermere 10 Mile Trail Race - Sunday 7th April 2013

Salomon Trail Tour - Round 1, Buttermere, Cumbria - 7th April 2013

So, Sunday 7th April 2013 arrived and bright and early the whole family got up and we drove the 90 minutes to Buttermere. For those of you that don't know Cumbria that well, it is not unlike Cornwall in that whilst driving distances are not far in terms of time it is due to the narrow lanes and general geography.

It seemed a beautiful day and as we dropped into Buttermere from the Portinscale direction numerous cyclists were climbing up out of the village as I looked across at part of the route of the Lakeland 100 miler that I sadly failed to finish (My Lakeland 100 race report). The beauty of the area is really beyond compare and at least this time I could see the route that back in July 2012 I was running in the dark. The sunshine on the lakes and the snow on the mountain tops and the new "just born" lambs frolicking around, just made the whole scene amazingly picturesque.

We arrived at the race car park (a field in the village) and straightaway I could tell it was going to be a well organised race from the High Terrain Events Crew. Polite car park marshals and then the registration was completed with ease and no fuss. I then changed, took the boys off to the local toilet facilities and jogged down to the start area adjacent to Buttermere lake itself. Everyone was buzzing and it had been a long time since I last entered a short distance race and watching the good runners completing their warm ups caused me some concern. My plan was to always just turn up and run in an event with others to feel part of something but run at slightly above my base heart rate, (up to 80%) and not try and race it. After all, I have not done any top end training, everything has been done at base level.

However, I was soon caught up in the moment and the good advice I give to the cyclists I coach in Time Trials (as effectively  I was planning to do the race as a Time Trial but at 75 - 80% of my maximum heart rate) seemed to disappear from my brain. Cara and the boys arrived a few minutes before the start by which time I had noticed that 300 metres after the start of the race, you ran over a narrow bridge and then about 50 metres further on, through a narrow gate. I readjusted my plan, decided to start near the front and go for it until I was through the gate and then ease off, instead of building up over the first few minutes to my target heart rate and then maintaining that.

Start area

Start area

Start area

A kiss for Cara and the boys, into the start area and then two minutes later, having had a brief from the race organiser, we were off. I sprinted like a mad thing wearing a long sleeve Helly Hansen top with my Nike T-shirt over the top and my Lycra leggings. Mistake number 1. I was boiling hot within minutes.

Cara recounts, "I was so proud of you and the boys were really excited,  saying when you ran over the bridge and through the gate "look Daddy is in 13th place!" They then watched for a couple more minutes before you disappeared from view and you were slipping all the time until you reached 29th place. It was so funny to watch!"

Mistake 2. Stick to your original plan and remember you are running against top class and some professional runners. Dean Karnazes I am not and never will ever get close!

Anyway, back to my run. I did get through the gate in a reasonable position but straightaway I realised that I was way over my heart rate and did not even need to glimpse down to see that it would be stupidly high. I eased off to try and get my body back into some semblance of order but realised (as I know happens) that it takes time to over compensate and so runner after runner past me. We ran through Burntness Wood (also on the course of the Lakeland 100 mile route) for 1.25 miles and then turned back on ourselves and climbed higher and back into the woods, through the woods and over the very rocky path, before passing close to the start and next to Scale Force waterfall at 2.2 miles. Scale Force is the highest waterfall in the Lake District with a single fall of around 120 feet. The waterfall - or ’force’ - totals about 170 feet and is hidden in a deep, tree-lined gorge; it was once eloquently described by William Wordsworth as ’a fine chasm, with a lofty, though but slender, fall of water’.)

A large group of spectators clapped us through and then we were off over rough path and tree routes out and around Crummock Water  I had now managed to level off m heart rate to my target and seemed now to be keeping my position. The scenery was just stunning, so much so that after 5.3 miles I looked out across Crummock Water and back towards the start and I just had to stop and take a photograph. I thought to myself, this is fun, I am never ever going to be in the prizes (not even for my age group) and I am running to enjoy it, so I stopped (to the amazement of one runner and took the below picture)

View at 5.3 miles looking back

mile 6.3

I continued on, so grateful to be running in such beauty and stopped again for another picture (above) a mile further on before going into High Wood. The run then moves away from the lake, crosses a minor road and goes further up into the Fells to reach the highest point of the race at mile 8. A couple of runners ahead of me went started to go off in the wrong and longer direction as they'd missed a sign , so I called them back and then we joined a minor road  for about 40 metres and then climbed steeply back up into the Fells. At the top of the climb at mile 9, was a very polite and official photographer taking pictures of the competitors. 

I charged down the other side (well for me it seemed like a charge! (11.9 mph according to Runkeeper)) crossed the road and back along the trail to catch a few other runners. One guy had stopped and was walking, so I gave him a shout of encouragement and informed him it was less than half a mile to go. He started to run with me and then out sprinted me before the line and we had some banter about that after the finish. Maybe next time I should keep quiet, but then that is not in my nature. 

I was greeted by my family briefly before the boys then returned very quickly to Buttermeres lake shore and continued to throw stones into the lake as they had been doing since I had been away.

With my medal and Buttermere and Fleetwith Pike behind

 

The Finish

All competitors were then treated to tea/coffee and cake at the nearby Croft House Farm Cafe which also served really good value food, so we stayed for lunch. I also met a person and colleague from Cumbria that I follow on Twitter @ChiefInsp Justin Bibby who had an excellent run finishing 9 minutes ahead of me. A real pleasure to meet him.

The race was won in a course record and amazing time by Ricky Lightfoot of Salomon Racing in 58-54.

All in all, a great event with excellent organisation. Thank you to all at High Terrain Events.

Final position - 99th
Distance 10.27 miles in 1-36-43 at 6.37 mph pace with 1012 feet of climbing 
Runkeeper showing the route 







 

Week Commencing 1st April 2013 leading upto The Buttermere Trail Run

Monday 1st April 2013

We'd had a hectic weekend with Cara competing in her first Cycle Time Trial Race in years (since before children) on the Saturday 

Cara warming up before her race start

and heavily involved with our church on Easter Sunday, so I hadn't run.

As it was Bank Holiday Monday I didn't have to work so the plan was to spend it with my family but I didn't want the family to be waiting around for me, so I was up early and out of the door by 7.15 a.m. to get 10 miles in. I decided on an anti clockwise route today, so on leaving the house I went through the village and down to Church Cove and then around the coast path, heading north towards Cadgwith.

Looking back into Church Cove

 Passing Devils Frying Pan, 

Devils Frying Pan

 after 2 miles I turned left, through the country lanes to join the footpath and through the fields past Grade Church. I then rejoined the country lane before turning left onto a bridleway towards Kynance Garage and Mile End. There I crossed the Lizard to Helston road and took the bridleway across Lizard Downs. This is a flat, gorse covered area which can be and usually is, very wet. Today was no different and I took the path towards Kynance Cove. On arriving at the cove, I then rejoined the coast path and turned south towards Lizard Point (the most southerly point in the England), passing Pentreath, Caerthilian Cove, Old Lizard Head as I did so. Leaving the Lizard Point light house on the 

Looking back towards Lizard Point

I looked back to the Point itself and took a quick picture before continuing around Housel Bay, BassPoint and dropping down into Church Cove again.

Looking down into Church Cove as I approached it the second time

By now, I had done a complete circuit and completed 8.75 miles. I wanted to run 10 miles, so I passed through Church Cove again and cut up on a footpath through the field to Trethvas Farm and back through the fields to home.

In all, 10.09 miles in 1 hr 51 mins at base heart rate. Runkeeper


Tuesday 2nd April 2013 

Todays run was just short of 8 miles and this time in a clockwise direction. (I like to keep it varied).
From home I ran through the village down to Lizard Point and then joined the coast path and basically from here completed the run I did yesterday but in reverse and without the added extra little 1.25 mile loop at the end. It was a glorious afternoon, if not slightly chilly.

Towards Bass Point at  6 miles. You can just see Lizard Lifeboat station in the shade of the cliffs.

 So, in total 7.68 miles in 1-22-11 at 5.61 mph pace with 858 feet of climbing. Runkeeper


Thursday 4th April 2013

I didn't run yesterday as we drove up for a weeks holiday in Cumbria. A 10 hour trip. Thank heavens  for portable DVD players for the children! We stay in Grange-Over-Sands and we always make the most of our stay when we come up. Again with that in mind, I was up and out for a run before most of the family started to stir. With the children not getting carried from the car and slipped into bed until after midnight this was not suprising!

Running out of the town, I soon cut up towards Grange Fell Golf Club and onto the Fell behind the golf club with the usual superb views across Morcombe Bay, the distant Pennines and the rolling hills towards the Coniston Mountain range

From behind the Golf Course looking towards the Coniston Fells

before then running along to Hampsfell Hospice and heading along for a short while to the stran
gely named area called Hampsfell Allotments! (not what you would expect to be called the allotments and certainly nothing like allotments but something I mean to try and find out about). Once I had covered 3 miles, I turned around and retraced my steps slightly before running over the fascinating limestone outcrops on top of the Fell.

Hampsfell Hospice

Limestone outcrops on top of Hampsfell with Morecombe Bay Estuary behind

Dropping off the top I then ran down through the beautiful Eggerslack woods (where I've often seen Deer but not on this occasion) back onto Windermere Road and up through the town back to the house. 

In total 5.96 miles in 1-07-07 at 5.33 mph pace with sadly no elevation data for some reason from the Runkeeper app but the route is detailed on it, nonetheless. 

Friday 5th April 2013

Today, was another great day with the family but when we arrived home Cara still insisted I kept with my program and went out for my planned 8 mile run. So, whilst the boys were fed and put to bed I was unceremoniously pushed out of the door in my running kit to get the miles in. It was 7.31 p.m. as I left and I decided to follow the Cumbria Coast path to see what that was like. Knowing it in the main ran along Morecombe Bay, I knew it would be mainly flat but sadly, it was also on (in the main) on tarmac.After 2.5 miles I took a left thinking "That must be the way" but soon found it wasn't so I retraced my steps slightly and continued before finding an off road footpath through some fields, crossing the railway line and headed out to Humphreys Head, where on reaching 4 miles I came across a signpost for "Cumbria Coast Path!"

I decided to just retrace my steps as I knew then I would get the 8 miles covered. Again, as with all my runs I did it at 70 - 75% of my maximum heart rate.

In total 8.01 miles in 1-16-54 at 6.25 mph pace with two steep climbs during with 640 feet of climbing in total. Runkeeper

 

Ultra Run Training Begins in Earnest 28th March - 29th March 2013

After my watershed moment I sat down and planned my run training albeit very aware of trying to fit it in around my family, my sometimes demanding job and various other commitments. So whilst it is a plan, it will not necessarily be rigid and will very much depend on call outs from work and balancing the needs of my family.

28th March 2013

After the pain from the day before after riding my bike on the "Tuesday Ride" today was a 6 mile run at base pace using my new Runkeeper App for company. in a 1/5th of a mile I am off the road and onto the footpath, through the fields to Trethvas Farm and then up onto the wall (yes, the footpath runs across one of our Cornish Walls) before joining the country lane for a few hundred yards and joining a footpath again to go past St. Grade Church, through the fields to cut across a further country lane to pass St. Ruans Well and over the fields to the hamlet of St. Ruan. From St. Ruan, I took the footpath that drops down through Cadgwith past St. Mary's Church and then the steep path back up and heading south onto the Cornwall Coast path back towards Lizard Point. This is a beautiful stretch of coastline past Devils Frying Pan with views stretching towards the Lizard Lifeboat Station where up until recently I was a member of the crew and my wife still is. I dropped down into Church Cove, up past the Lifeboat Station, around Bass Point and the National Coastwatch Institution Station and on towards the famous Lizard Wireless Station where Marconi conducted his radio experiments and onto and past the beautiful Housel Bay before returning into the village and home.

My run is detailed on Runkeeper but for some reason on this occasion the elevation of the route is not shown.

29th March 2013

Having driven upto Exeter the evening before with my family to visit my parents-in-law for Good Friday, I got up early and decided to go and do an 8 mile run. I drove through the city to get to the start of my run at the Swing Bridge so that I could run down the old Exeter Ship canal. The swing bridge (as per the link) played an important part in World War II and a plaque states "In May 1944, these bridges played an important part in the preparations for D-Day. They were used over a period of three days and nights, for rehearsals of the famous and crucial glider borne attack on the bridge over the Canal de Caen (Pegasus Bridge) and the River Orne (Horsa Bridge), by the Second Battalion Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, on the night 5/6 June 1944."

This particular run is something I havn't done since I was a young police officer based in Exeter and was a route I used to train along when I was training for the South Downs Way 80 mile Ultra running event in the late 80's. I would often finish a late shift at 2 a.m. in those days or a night shift at 6 a.m. and go and run, figuring it would be good to train whilst I was already tired. I ran for Exeter Harriers then.

Anyway, move forward 24 years to now. I quickly got myself sorted and by 7 am I was off. The thing I noticed the most was the noise of the motorway still over a mile distant and also the fact that now (unlike in the 1980's) the path was now tarmac up until the motorway bridge that I ran under at about 1 mile into the run. Because I was along side the canal it was pancake flat and for me living and running around the coast path this is highly unusual. Again, with most of my runs, I ran at a constant base heart rate and the difference to running on the coastpath the day before (at that heart rate) and on the flat canal path was 1 mph or 1 minute and 36 secs slower per mile. Quite a difference.

Once under the motorway bridge thankfully, the noise of the road was left behind and I continued down the path towards Exminster, looking across the canal and the River Exe towards Topsham (which is where my brother lives). Passing what used to be known to me anyway as The Turf Locks but now known as The Turf at 3 miles (where the canal ends and joins the Estuary) , I continued for a further mile along the sea wall and then after 4 miles retraced my steps.

On the return leg, i was startled by a number of Herons coming out of the reeds in the canal and watched some keen rowers from Exeter University out on the Canal heading towards the Turf.

All in all a lovely run of 8.05 miles with just 170 feet of elevation. So, different for me due to no "ups and downs" but from a personal nostalgic point of view slightly disappointing due to the tarmac path having been laid since I last ran on it in the first and last mile.

I attach some pictures and my runkeeper log.

Exeter Ship Canal

River Exe estuary looking towards The Turf in the trees on the left

A Watershed Moment

The 27th March 2013 was big decision day in my life in terms of physical fitness. If you have read some of my infrequent blog posts you will know that I had my near fatal accident in 2009 and as a result my neck and top of my back is still broken in 4 places held in by fibrous tissue. It is apparently too much of a risk to try and operate to sort out the problem and besides the vertebrae are too far apart to fuse together. The prognosis? "You will always have pain, you will have problems later in life but to stave that off, you need to stay fit. If you don't stay fit you will be crippled in a few years time."

I am still relatively young (46), have a young family and have always been physically fit so not staying fit, is not an option.

You will have also noticed that I was really excited having managed to gain a place in The Outlaw Ironman distance triathlon just a few weeks ago, and therefore I knew I needed to get cycle fit again. My accident was during a cycling race so emotionally and physically it had taken me time to get back onto the bike but get back onto it I had. I was pretty confident that my running had improved overall strength on the bike.  For the first few years after the accident, riding a bike caused me a great deal of pain in my neck and back., even in a short ride. However, in the summer of last year this seemed to have improved. I didn't appear to have any problems (or so it seemed), when I rode my bike for up to 90 minutes.

However, the "Tuesday Ride" just showed that whilst I was able to cope with the effort on the day, the following day was another story. By the time the Wednesday evening arrived I was "Crying" in pain with my back and neck. This wasn't the first time. It had happened on three different occasions when I had completed a longer ride. It was time for me to make a hard decision. Keep persevering and see if I could break through or stop riding? I was in immense pain. I still remember what scale 10 pain was on the scale of 1 - 10 (10 being the worst ever) and  for me "crying" pain is at 8 on the scale. I decided not to ride. I am really concerned about the long term damage I'm doing to myself long term and for the experts out there pain is a sign that maybe I am asking my body to do something it just cannot do anymore. Is that correct?

You may not think it that it should've been a hard decision (bearing in mind it was a bike crash that caused the problems in the first place) but the fact is, I have been involved in cycling circles for 25 years. Riding as a competitor with a reasonable amount of amateur success, an event organiser (I've organised three national cycling events) or as a cycling coach. Therefore, to make the decision not to ride or compete again was a hard one. Some have said,
"Why not ride for fun?" and that is a valid question but for me, I have always raced and would find it hard not to have a race goal? Yes, I could do short distance Time Trials on less than 90 minutes training a day and with the use of a turbo trainer, could compete at a reasonably good level but.......the running has caught my imagination again and I love being outdoors in the fantastic countryside that I am blessed to live in. Pounding away on my turbo trainer is so far removed from that, it's time for a change both from a pain and long term preservation point of view as well as for my sanity.

Ultra running has always been in my make up. I used to run in my teens and entered my first marathon as soon as I could at 18. I then went on to run various race distances with the "South Down Way 80 mile race" in the late 1980's and it was something I always figured I would like to return to one day. So, that is what I am going to do. Now is the time. I won't be fast but I will enjoy it and it will keep me fit. I find that off road running is slower and less pounding on my body and assists in my posture.

I will remain in good contact with my cycling friends by continuing to coach and attend races. My son James competes at national level and is a National Age Group Champion and my wife has just returned to cycle sport so with them together and a few other Juniors I also coach, I will still be involved with the sport (albeit not a competitor myself)

My goal from now though is Ultra Running.

I have cancelled my entry into the Marazion and Outlaw Triathlons which will allow others to compete.

I have entered the Endurance Life 44 mile Classic Quarter event on 8th June 2013 and the Mud Crew Plague 62 mile event in August and hoping to get a cancellation place in the Montane Lakeland 50 miler when it opens again on 1st May 2013.

I am also going to try and join the Cornwall based Mud Crew Trail Running Team.

See you out there on the trails and in the main, on the Cornwall Coast path. Decision made.

26th March 2013 - The Tuesday Ride

The "Tuesday Ride" amazingly happens every Tuesday and starts and finishes at Union Corner in Falmouth, Cornwall. Members of my club One & All Cycling meet there and complete the same route each week from 9 a.m. I try and work a late shift if possible to accomodate the ride but today I was not as organised as I should have been as I had to do th "school run" as my wife was working the eraly shift so effectively, I was not going to get to the start on time. As a result I drove to a later part of the course near Penarth, parked up, retrieved my bike from the car and waited for my friends to arrive. It was dry but very cold and because I had rushed around I had forgotten to pack my overshoes. Not a good idea on such a cold day!

David, David and Tony duly arrived and I tagged along. The pace was good and we kept it steady at what turned out to be just below my base heart rate. The thing I love about these rides is the steady tapping out of some miles whilst at the same time having a great deal of banter. I also enjoy the cafe stop which whilst not being conducive to training as invariably I buy an apricot flapjack with my Espesso coffee it still means we get some further banter going. Today was no different and we stopped off at the regular haunt at Godrevy.

The cycle back was into a head wind and due to me arriving late, I had to peel off early to return to my car. So, instead of 42 miles I only did 30.

25th March 2013 - 8 Mile Run

Into work early this morning so that I could finish at a reasonable hour and get an 8 mile off road base run in before having to pick up the children from "After School Club."

I decided today to do a loop based on a 8 mile loop from a Cornwall Walks book I own. The walk entitled Lizard Point, Kynance Cove and Cadgwith is described as looking "quite a short distance on the map but this is deceptive, as the coastal path is exceptionally tortuous, though without severe gradients. The scenery is outstanding, especially if a rough sea is running, and the inland leg makes a pleasant contrast with the coastal sections."

From home, I ran down to Lizard Point, the most southerly point in Britain and turned right onto the coastal footpath. From Old Lizard Head I had a fine view of the lighthouse and point. As you look around the rocks off shore have evocative names such as Man of War, Barges Rock, The Stags and Shag Rock. Sadly, all have claimed lives over the years. 207 died when the Royal Anne was wrecked on the Stags in November, 1720. The victims were buried at Pistol Meadow which you run past but sadly there is no sign or plaque for you to remember them by.

From Old Lizard Head the view opens up wuth the shapes of the rock stacks of Kynance in the distance ahead. For a while I ran across the springy level of turf passing Caerthilian Cove and Pentreath before  the National Trust's car park for Kynance Cove is reached.. Kynance is one of the places beloved by the "Excursionists" of the 19th Century. Prince Albert bought his children ashore here in 1846 and Tennyson visited the cove a short while later.

I followed the path round the top of Kynance before bearing right across Lizard Downs. The path here was very muddy and wet with a golden colour before eventually arriving at the row of houses on the A3083 called Mile End. (exactly a mile on the road to Lizard Village). I crossed the road (next to Kynance Filling Station) to the track opposite and this soon opens out into a heathy wilderness (albeit muddy) with the tower of St. Grades Church in sight ahead. This was followed by another short section of gritty path that leads to the Cadgwith road. I turned right heading towards Grade  and then took the path left, heading for the church. This is a place of tranquillity and I have been to a number of services here. Midnight mass is wonderful made even more of an event as there is no electric power  and therefore the church is lit by oil and the organ bellows are pumped by hand.

I left the churchyard at the stone stile on the eastern end and circled the field before joining an enclosed path  over a further stone stile and another field and then crossed the road to a white house, Metheven. I followed the lane towards Inglewidden and then turned left for The Devils Frying Pan.. Running down the hill, I then turned right past Town Place, a National Trust cottage. and joined the coast path again. Immediately, I was running past Devils Frying Pan which is a spectacular natural feature of a rock arch below sheer cliffs which curve like a basin around it. Always a great site and even more so today as the sea was in and washing through the arch. Running south back towards Lizard point on the coast path. Running around the cliffs the path was straightforward and Landewednack Church and the Lifeboat station can be seen in the distance. I ran down into Church Cove (conscious that I soon had to collect the children from school!)  and then up past Mariners cottage and back towards the village  but not before doing a short out and back detour down Green Lane to ensure I could make the run 8 miles.

All in all a great run after work that I used a new app on my phone for called RunKeeper. The whole run was done at a steady base heart rate pace with no negative aspects to it at all.

I am blessed to be able to live here! :-)

Runkeeper