Best of luck Jeff
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Yeah smash it Jeff, DT and TC
Hope the weather is as nice up there as it is down here today. Glorious morning.
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Good Luck Jeff.
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Not sure what DTs name is to check but Jeff and TC through ribblehead in 1:47/1:41 respectively, seemed to be a similar gap at pen-y-ghent…crack on lads! 
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TC will just be warmed up by now:joy:
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Good stuff
Well done chaps…
Jeff 4:23
T_C 4:07
Time for a beer
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DT 5:27…there’s going to be a story to tell there.
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Well done TC & DT, I did see TC at the start but he vanished off at a pace I didn’t want to go at.
That was a tough old race! Enjoyable though, although it’s over in a few minutes running by the viaduct is quite iconic 
As per the photo I posted it was a lot sunnier when I got there and not much wind but was forecast to cloud over. So I decided to go with a long sleeve top 
I lined up around the 4 hour mark, everyone else overestimates their fitness or ability and I didn’t want to get completely blocked. I thought the field looked a bit small TBH, the fell champs was also on in Guisborough (one of my training routes!) and another at Coniston so the runners were spread thin.
We started out and I was trying not to get too carried away knowing how long it was. The climb up to PYG isn’t that bad tbh, mostly decent track and not that steep until the final push. I got settled into a pace but before long we saw the leaders hurtling back down! Made it to the top and headed back down, luckily there’s a slight loop and there wasn’t much coming up when I was heading down. There’s a fairly long flattish section after that to the viaduct, I got talking to someone for a bit who’d done it before.
When I got to Ribblehead I stopped to pick up a new drink and moved onwards, the race doesn’t take the path up Whernside, you turn left under the railway line then pretty much ascend 2.5k up the side of the fell. As it’s been that dry this probably made it easier and less boggy, but the final kick got quite steep. I made it past a few people at that point.
The descent of Whernside is a bit tricky in places, and would have been horrible and greasy in the wet, but once you get to the bottom there’s a small road section to the next checkpoint. I was still feeling quite good and on for hopefully 4:15.
The start of Inglebrough was alright but towards the top I got caught behind a slower runner and for some stupid reason stopped eating as much, I started feeling it at the top but we’d finished the climbing.
The descent took me a bit by surprise (the CX race doesn’t go that way), again it was quite rocky and as the ground was so hard my feet were getting quite sore then with about 5k to go I could just feel myself running out of steam. I probably should have had some more food but you get into the thought of only a parkrun to go! Problem is that it was nearly a K longer than I’d expected.
It was pretty spread out by then, I did still catch a few that were walking but also got caught off a few and just didn’t have the legs to stay with them, even in the last K.
I crawled over the line in 4:23 and then sprawled out in the field for 5 minutes 
I was really battered.
It felt like a quick day, but only 2 people broke 3 hours and were well off the course record. Although the first lady put in a very good performance.
Was still pretty happy, I’d gone on it being 37k so the extra bit was another 4-5 minutes so not that far off the 4:15 I thought might be possible.
I’ve not ran that far or on such a technical course with some much ascent for probably 6 years so I knew I didn’t have the distance in the legs, but until the last 5-6k still felt alright. I don’t really think I’d have gone much faster if I hadn’t done Boston either.
Anyway, ticked it off but doubt I’ll be rushing to do it again in the next few years, can’t see me getting as good a day and a faster time would probably require some more consistent fell training, we really don’t have the long climbs and technical descents on the Moors.
In hindsight I’d have preferred to have used the Pegasus Trail 2’s as they have a softer sole, the hard ground was harder work than I expected. I did generally drink enough but do need to eat a bit more.
Now need to recover for next week!
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I started right from the back. My plan was just to get round and enjoy the day, no time chasing. Though I was 10 mins inside the cutoff! I was faster going up, pretty much walked every descent Ankle wasn’t great so I didn’t want to make it any worse. Stopped a few times; helped a chap that fell down quite badly and helped a lady pull a sheep out of a boggy stream! Great day out, gorgeous weather, so job done for today. However, I’ll be back next year, unfinished business!! Our club won the team prize (no help from me).
Great work Jeff and TC 
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Great work all
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Turns out a lad I know, Brennan, won the race today. He’s a very handy runner from Dartmoor, but moved up to the Lakes to progress his running career.
He’s only young, but was a neo pro cyclist for a while with one of the British teams. But didn’t quite make it to the next level. Then he turned to tri and won Wimbleball. Then moved to trail running.
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Good work Gents. I’ve walked it a number of times, and can’t ever imagine running round.
Not really a race but I did the Mallorca 312 gran fondo yesterday, although only the 167k route. Felt strong all round and me and a mate pulled a big group back along the flats for the final 40k which was fun. There weren’t many volunteers for chain ganging by then. Must have been 25C and sizzling afternoon sun. Here’s three random images from the day.
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Great stuff, well done @GeordieM
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Excellent work Sir
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Grand day out that
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Well my bike legs have finally shown up in 2022.
After 3 really low power, ragged and frankly mentally weak TTs (2 club, 1 open), I finally got on the bike feeling motivated, smooth and strong.
Managed to add 15w and take 1min 20 secs off Good Friday ride on the same course. Faster day today but still a much better ride. 22:10 at 4w/kg on a SC course.
Dunno what was up for the first 3, possibly lingering Covid or just finding the zone, but bloody relieved!
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Good confidence builder, think I already mentioned but a lad I work with said he’d struggled since Covid but had it fairly recently.
The too long didn’t read version: Did my first Veterans track league event last night. Unofficial results:
400M (35-49 B race): 57.7s P1
1500M (35-49 A race): 4:50 - think I was last of As and beaten by 1 B too.
Longer version:
I was signed up to the 400m and 1500m. For some background I’ve been training on the track with the middle-long distance group since last October. I’ve had one single race, a 3000m (10:42). I was rather apprehensive that the 400m was 30 mins before the 1500m, and knowing me, I didn’t think I’d recover very well from a red line all out effort. While the night was good fun, it was all a bit amateur, they were running late from the very start as I gather the starter was running late. Communication was all a bit lacking. This made warming up a bit awkward as I couldn’t quite work out when I should start it.
The 100m events finished and next up was supposed to be the 3000m s/c, with the 400m after that, so was just about to start my warm up. Then there was the announcement that the water jump was only half full, so they’ve had to change the s/c into a straight 3000m, but they will do it at the end of the night. So the 400m was up. Great, my warmup consisted of one lap of the track.
I was in the B race, which I had no complaints about. Didn’t know the guy in the A race, but having checked in him out on power of 10 he’s PB is under 56s. Had absolutely no idea what I could do, at training I think my quickest lap is probably ~71s, but that’s generally as part of a set of 12+ reps all trying to hit an even(ish) pace.
I was in lane 5 with 3 guys to my outside, one of which was a club training partner who was a non-scorer. I did a normal standing start and recorded it on the watch. Not sure what the deal with blocks were, some people used them in the A race anyway. The gun went and after the first bend I’d caught my clubmate in lane 8. Stagger for the other 2 outside me remained. Down the back straight caught up with one of the other guys pulling even as I got to the second bend. No sign of anyone inside me. At this point I realised I probably had set off a bit conservatively and tried to pick up the pace. Exited the bend and other guy had quite a gap on me (still no-one inside), probably at least the original stagger remained.
Completely emptied the tank for the final 100m and was slowly reeling him in, and think I pipped him in the final 5m to take the ‘tape’. Stopped my watch for a 57.7s. Delighted to record a sub-60s. Looking at Strava afterwards I think I was the only one in the 400m to have recorded it, comfortably topping the daily chart for the lap segment
Ate half a banana and then it was time for the 1500m, no real announcement it was starting but could see people starting to gather around the start line. The 35-49 As and Bs lined up together in this one. Start was about 25 mins after my 400m. We lined up, comedy miss-firing gun moment, take a step back and start again. The gun went and I ended up going straight to to front, think the speed and adrenaline from the 400m had a part to play in that. Held the lead for the first 300m until crossing the finish line for the first time at which point I realised I’d set off way too quickly. Checking someone else’s Strava who I think was hitting the lap button suggested 53s for the first 300m. I should point out there was no lap clock.
2 guys came storming past me, felt my pace drop and realised I had 3 laps of pain left. I think mentally I checked out at this point, feeling that the earlier 400m had completely drained me. Gradually others passed me, at least 3, maybe a couple more. At the bell there were a couple of guys 5m ahead. They probably pulled away a little more over the next 200m, at which point I realised there was 200m only to go and I could pick up the pace. I closed the gap slightly, but it wasn’t close.
Stopped the watch on 4:50. Before the night I would have been happy with that, sub-5 was the goal, but with hindsight it was disappointing.
There are 3 more events in the calendar, each with slightly different race options. I think for the remaining events I’ll pick just a single race.
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