Nice one FP
2 Likes
I’m not sure I could deal with some of the drops (although Crib Goch I have walked over twice). I am terrible with heights end up crawling if I have not frozen with fear …
4 Likes
529 finishers, 556 DNF: 51% DNF rate!
4 Likes
Thought I would share this , went for an MRI scan on my heart before we went off to Canada and I now have the all clear - I did tell him the bear story as I mentioned that I thought the stress of avoiding the bear and running through the woods near the peninsular may of caused a syncope episode ( which triggered this all off in the first place) . I guess its just one of those things and no need to worry for now .
15 Likes
Glad you got it checked out. And it’s all clear.
As you know my mum did a few Comrades and plenty marathons along the way. She’s got a couple of issues with her heart now in her late-70’s and has small areas of lung cancer. But the doctors keep her on low-level monitoring because of that base fitness that was so exceptional - still a massive lung capacity.
Damned if you do and damned if you don’t but I will always take movement and health over a sedentary life with rubbish food. I also think because we prefer to be healthy, we’re more conscious of when things aren’t right.
nothing returns and you can keep enjoying those adventures!
4 Likes
Dartmoor in a Day. So that was pretty good, until it wasn’t 
This was my 4th crack at this race. I think it’s the race I’ve done the most and previously I have finishes of 7.55, 10.20, 9.10 and yesterday’s 9.18. I’ve never DNF’d here, so that’s a plus!
The course is quite a tricky mix of technical trails, very steep short hills and long slow slogs. It’s generally ‘runable’ but very easy to take a fall. There are 5 river (2 have stepping stones) crossings and countless wet ditches to jump.and countless.
The 50km race starts at Okehampton and there is a 30km option that starts a couple of hours later at CP1.
the last 11 or 12 km is the ‘puffing billy’ track, which is an old railway line used for the mines (I think). It generally descends but has a lot of ups and down and is covered in stones. It’s hard going and in my best year at this race, I’ve managed to run only 8km of this track on my best ever result previously.
Dartmoor is very exposed and apart from the first 2km, the entire course is out in the open. It was pretty sunny yesterday but bloody cold at the start and quite windy. I did take my coat off before the start ‘be bold, start cold and all that’
Apart from the first year where I pretty much nailed it, this race has a familiar pattern for me. I do pretty well up until CP2, then with about 22km to go, things fall apart. Yesterday was no different.
Coming out of Combstone, which is CP2, there is a very long slog of a hill with a huge expanse of flat and undulating sections at the top. This whole course is insanely boggy but this particular section is horrific and the ground underneath the bog is very uneven. I get very despondent at this point, need to toughen up my mental game!
At this point my back was screaming at me and my left calf had gotten tight but I had no hint of that groin injury I picked up in the week, so that was good but my back was by far the limiting factor yesterday.
I was starting to catch some 30km folks now but was solidly BOP for the 50km race. After some river crossings a very horrible section along the river and up the valley, I reached the puffing billy track. I walked 1km then tried shuffling for 500 mtrs and walking 500mtrs, that lasted for 3kms but it hurt my back, so I waked the rest. I was overtaken by a family of three, whose 12yr old son did the 50km course, so that was humbling!
felt like I managed my nutrition well, stayed on top of drinking and only missed about 3 or 4 of my 20 minute ‘EAT’ alerts on my watch, which sounds a lot but really isn’t over 9hrs.
I always forget to take pics but here’s a couple. No medals this year, Justin has had locally sourced wooden coasters made. I like the concept but the jury is out on whether I like the design.
!
8 Likes
Thanks @awildt Your mum sounds cool - and your right I think we do notice these things more, I can probably count on one hand the number of times I have had to go to the docs ( and thats mainly to sort out HRT) . Planning the next adventure as we speak 
1 Like
That’s absolutely brilliant news @p00key, so happy for you 
2 Likes
Fantastic news @p00key 
2 Likes
Good on you FP for toughing it out till the finish line. How’s the back today?
I saw that…
cheeky
2 Likes
Thanks Anna, pretty bloody painful TBH but it’s easing up. I’m meant to be doing NC110km is less than 3wks but getting more and more of a feeling that 50km and at a push 50mile might be my limit these days.
Not sure yet.
2 Likes
FP, well done for grinding it out!
2 Likes
Phew, glad to hear you are ok
1 Like
Sounds a tough day out, but you did it!
1 Like
Thanks Doug, it’s not an overly demanding course hill wise but can be technical and those boggy sections are truly horrible.
I think the problem for me right now is that all the races are becoming demanding and they all need toughing out, even the ‘easy’ ones. Which is a worry.
Looks like I came 86/110 in the 50km. I was sat next to the winner on the coach. He was hoping for under 5.30 and went 4.44 for a course record!
6 Likes
Here you go @FatPom, from CSW’s Facebook.
10 Likes
Cheers mate, I was forcing a camera smile there for sure. 2 mins later it was a different face 
5 Likes
That’s great news, hopefully you can get on top of the episodes you mentioned as well.
1 Like
Well this is weird…
7 Likes
Less weird, more extremely disappointing.
1 Like