Good luck to those racing Clitheroe triathlon on Sunday.
I am not trying to worry anyone but this is a very tough bike course. I rode the route yesterday and although Jeffery Hill is very steep (slight understatement) the course has a lot of short climbs and some long drags in it. It is quite a harsh surface and there are very few places where you will be able to relax and enjoy the scenery.
On a positive note, the descent after Jeffery Hill is great fun, just watch out for the tight right hander early on.
Most importantly, don't forget about the 8.7km run to follow.
I am on transition and am genuinely disappointed that I am not racing. Don't forget to visit the Endurance Store who will be at the event and make sure you try some of the samples of ZipVit energy bars on offer. The uncoated chocolate is my current favourite.
Happy racing,
Rich.
Thursday, 18 August 2011
Wednesday, 10 August 2011
Tired Legs!
As mentioned on my previous post, I was racing the Lakeland 50 last weekend.
I was there early on the Friday morning as I was doing the kit checking for the event. There were a lot of nervous people, especially those doing the L100. The L100 started at 5.30pm on the Friday and it was a very warm evening- I led out the first 400 metres or so and I was sweating buckets.
After this excitement I went back and did a further 4 hours of kit-checking. I then had to pack up the shop as Ang and Paul had gone up to do the checkpoint at Dalemain.
Got to sleep late and was up early, manning the shop from 7am.
I then got my lift up to Dalemain for the 12 noon start for the L50.
Marc had asked me to lead out the first 4 miles of the race as this is around the Dalemain estate. I was probably more worried about this 4 miles than the next 46! It would not have gone down very well if I had led 500 people on the wrong route!
Due to traffic and the numbers involved the race did not start until 12.30 (this loss of half an hour would cause a few problems later).
I had to run the first 4 miles pretty hard and it didn't help that it was a very warm day- surely the people following me were not going to keep up this pace. Once I completed the loop around Dalemain, I slowed down and actually changed my shoes, picked up my pack and had a drink. I then set off for the next 46 miles.
During the afternoon it got hotter and there was very little breeze. However I do enjoy running in the heat and some of the views were truly amazing. I am not going to give you a step-by-step account of the race but there were some real high and low points. The only low point was running along side Haweswater and ducking a bit for a branch to brush past and not realising that there was a stump behind it and clattering my head on it. Normally when you bang your head, you touch it to check for blood and there's nothing there. This time my hand was covered in blood. There wasn't much I could do so kept going.
A real high point was going up Gatesgarth Pass. I normally don't like this as it is such a long climb. This time I caught up with about 4 different runners in the L100. I would slow down a bit, have a chat with them and then move on. This made the climb pass quickly.
As always the Montane checkpoint at Kentmere was popular as they were making their smoothies again. The stew at Chapelstile was another highlight.
Unfortunately I didn't quite make it to Tilberthwaite before it got fully dark (the loss of the half hour at the start was to blame). The climb over Tilberthwaite was fine and I got back to Coniston in 11 hours and 45 minutes, 34th overall. I think if I'd had the extra daylight I would have made the top 30 as my legs felt pretty good and I was still able to run comfortably. At the same time it seems a bit daft that I managed to come 34th. Obviously the lead up to the race was not ideal preparation and I had a very minimalistic approach to my training (I can't remember the last time I ran more than 35 miles in a week).
I am tempted to have another next year, but maybe train a bit more specifically.
Hats off to anyone who completed the L100. It was a great reminder of how tough this race is when you see all these people who have been running for 12 hours+ longer than you.
The biggest surprise of the weekend was how good my legs felt afterwards as well as a lack of blisters.
I raced in kit mainly from the shop.
Compressport Calf guards and For Quads- Absolutely brilliant- I could not even contemplate doing this kind of race without them.
Injinji socks- my lack of blisters is purely down to the socks- I had a brand new pair on and they were really, really comfortable. If you saw the state of some people's feet at the end, you think for £15 you could solve it with a pair of socks.
Inov-8 295- an excellent shoe- perfect for this kind of race.
Inov-8 race pack- I don't run very often with a pack but this was brilliant. It is a lightweight pack and you barely notice that you've got it on.
ZipVit Energy Chews- This was the first time that I used them an they are great. They are just like blocks of jelly and are a fantastic pick-me-up. I even shared a few around during the race and everyone commented how good they were.
ZipVit gels and bars- Tasty, particularly cherry cola.
Mule Bar Gels- they definitely 'kick'.
I cannot recommend this race highly enough. Having done the L100 previously the L50 is a massively enjoyable event. Ultimately it is a great excuse to run in the Lake District for a day!
I was there early on the Friday morning as I was doing the kit checking for the event. There were a lot of nervous people, especially those doing the L100. The L100 started at 5.30pm on the Friday and it was a very warm evening- I led out the first 400 metres or so and I was sweating buckets.
After this excitement I went back and did a further 4 hours of kit-checking. I then had to pack up the shop as Ang and Paul had gone up to do the checkpoint at Dalemain.
Got to sleep late and was up early, manning the shop from 7am.
I then got my lift up to Dalemain for the 12 noon start for the L50.
Marc had asked me to lead out the first 4 miles of the race as this is around the Dalemain estate. I was probably more worried about this 4 miles than the next 46! It would not have gone down very well if I had led 500 people on the wrong route!
Due to traffic and the numbers involved the race did not start until 12.30 (this loss of half an hour would cause a few problems later).
I had to run the first 4 miles pretty hard and it didn't help that it was a very warm day- surely the people following me were not going to keep up this pace. Once I completed the loop around Dalemain, I slowed down and actually changed my shoes, picked up my pack and had a drink. I then set off for the next 46 miles.
During the afternoon it got hotter and there was very little breeze. However I do enjoy running in the heat and some of the views were truly amazing. I am not going to give you a step-by-step account of the race but there were some real high and low points. The only low point was running along side Haweswater and ducking a bit for a branch to brush past and not realising that there was a stump behind it and clattering my head on it. Normally when you bang your head, you touch it to check for blood and there's nothing there. This time my hand was covered in blood. There wasn't much I could do so kept going.
A real high point was going up Gatesgarth Pass. I normally don't like this as it is such a long climb. This time I caught up with about 4 different runners in the L100. I would slow down a bit, have a chat with them and then move on. This made the climb pass quickly.
As always the Montane checkpoint at Kentmere was popular as they were making their smoothies again. The stew at Chapelstile was another highlight.
Unfortunately I didn't quite make it to Tilberthwaite before it got fully dark (the loss of the half hour at the start was to blame). The climb over Tilberthwaite was fine and I got back to Coniston in 11 hours and 45 minutes, 34th overall. I think if I'd had the extra daylight I would have made the top 30 as my legs felt pretty good and I was still able to run comfortably. At the same time it seems a bit daft that I managed to come 34th. Obviously the lead up to the race was not ideal preparation and I had a very minimalistic approach to my training (I can't remember the last time I ran more than 35 miles in a week).
I am tempted to have another next year, but maybe train a bit more specifically.
Hats off to anyone who completed the L100. It was a great reminder of how tough this race is when you see all these people who have been running for 12 hours+ longer than you.
The biggest surprise of the weekend was how good my legs felt afterwards as well as a lack of blisters.
I raced in kit mainly from the shop.
Compressport Calf guards and For Quads- Absolutely brilliant- I could not even contemplate doing this kind of race without them.
Injinji socks- my lack of blisters is purely down to the socks- I had a brand new pair on and they were really, really comfortable. If you saw the state of some people's feet at the end, you think for £15 you could solve it with a pair of socks.
Inov-8 295- an excellent shoe- perfect for this kind of race.
Inov-8 race pack- I don't run very often with a pack but this was brilliant. It is a lightweight pack and you barely notice that you've got it on.
ZipVit Energy Chews- This was the first time that I used them an they are great. They are just like blocks of jelly and are a fantastic pick-me-up. I even shared a few around during the race and everyone commented how good they were.
ZipVit gels and bars- Tasty, particularly cherry cola.
Mule Bar Gels- they definitely 'kick'.
I cannot recommend this race highly enough. Having done the L100 previously the L50 is a massively enjoyable event. Ultimately it is a great excuse to run in the Lake District for a day!
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