Run to Infinity

With Storm Ciara followed by snow, wind and even "thundersnow", and then Storm Dennis, outdoor events were being cancelled left, right and centre. The weekend of Storm Ciara had seen a closure of most parks and forests - often with no refunds of entry fees for events that were due to be held there, so I was rather expecting the Saturn Running Event I was going to participate in this weekend to have been called off due to "Dennis the Menace".

The Saturn Running crew were amazing - updating us regularly via their FB page as to weather forecasts, predicted river levels/flooding and potential reroutes of the course. They were doing their utmost to keep the event on, and eventually they decided that they would offer participants the option of an alternative date in 4 weeks or to participate on the Sunday as planned, but with a 30minute delay to the start and with a rather altered course. Saturn Running is so named as their events consist of loops (or "rings" as around the planet Saturn), but unfortunately they were rather restricted by Mother Nature on this occasion so each "lap" would have to be an out and back run, though they did manage to keep each lap the same planned distance of 3.2 miles.

The event was due to last for 7 hours (after which I had to drive back to Scotland, so the delay of the start wasn't the best thing for me, but at least the run was still happening) during which time you could run as much or as little as you liked. Unlike Falkirk a fortnight previously, you did not have to provide your own supplies as they had a fantastic aid station that you would pass every time you finished/started a lap. My mouth watered when I saw all that was on offer - cookies, flapjacks, cheese, crisps, nachos, sweets, fruit, falafels, sausage rolls, macaroons (well I'd be avoiding those) and drinks. Registration just consisted of you picking up a number (there was no chip timing, you would just be given a wrist band to put on at the end of every lap you completed) and buying/renting a collapsible cup. These cups were to go in racks by the aid station - the racks had slots numbered to correspond with race numbers, but unfortunately the numbering only went as high as 340 (and my race number was 350 as we were lisetd in alphabetical order) so I just had to put my cup on the edge of the table and hope....

I'd bumped into my friend Rachel at registration and as we huddled together trying to keep warm near the start line, we marvelled at a young girl who was there in the shortest of shorts, a running club vest and some arm warmers - for comparison I was wearing a thermal top, arm warmers, capris, a jacket, a buff and gloves - none of which I was going to shed before completing at least 1 lap! The bravery of Northerners (famed for going out to the pub in the snow wearing little more than a boob tube and hot pants)!!!

The short/flat/paved start/finish section
 towards the old swimming pool

The event started with an anticlimactic countdown from 10 to 1, and everyone trundled off....well everyone except a few faster guys, and said girl in the short shorts who shot off at some crazy pace (though maybe it was just to get warm!). We started off down the riverbank path away from the boathouses towards the old swimming pool, along the junior parkrun course (which had been cancelled due to the flooding) and by the time we'd gone a few hundred metres, she had already opened up a large gap ahead of the rest of the field. I guess that running such events is definitely a case of "each to their own" but it struck me as a trifle odd. I was at the other end of the scale, as within that first short section I was already asking myself exactly what I was doing there....as I had "nothing to prove" and was just not feeling up for it, either in my legs or my head.

The riverside path

We soon hairpinned back on ourselves and follwed the path up a short sharp slope to run along the top of the cricket pitches. This uphill section of path was tarmac, but many moons ago (over 20 years!!), it had been a rough grassy track that I'd walked along every day to school (and indeed, it was on this very section that I'd met a flasher one cold snowy January morning). The trail path along the top had a few overhanging trees to dodge and a narrow gateway to squeeze through, then some potholes and cars to dodge as we found ourselves back by the rowing club, but there was nothing too extreme. There was a marshal to guide us across the "road" into the rowing club, but his job was more to warn everyone about the slippery mud than oncoming vehicles, as all rowing had been canceled due to the height and speed of the river. We ran through the trees and back to the river but unfortunately could not continue on that path ( as it was underwater) so signposts directed us onto the rugby pitches. Running round the edges of the pitches was quite interesting as cross country spikes would have been the footwear of choice for this section....it was very "soft-going" and only became worse as the day progressed....though one of the slippiest bits was a tiny down and up onto the tarmac at the far side.

Having run back round the other edge of the pitches we rejoined the riverside path on a slightly undulating, very muddy section which ended with a kissing gate, through which you had to plodge in ankle deep brown water. Then it was over a slippery woooden slatted bridge and onto a firm trail the other side (the route of the adult parkrun). By this point I could see that the leading man had reeled in and overhauled the speedy starting girl, and I was almost on her, though I didn't feel as if I had increased my pace at all (in fact, I was still wearing all my layers of clothing). We had been told that the rest of the loop was flooded so we would have to turn around and retrace our steps, but I think I expected more than a random sign at the sign of the path saying "turn around" - there was not even a marshal there, but I guess if you turned early, then you were only cheating yourself out of distance!

The path (as would have been)
for the looped course

After turning I soon passed the young lass but the guy ahead of us was a long way away and so almost out of sight. In a way it was good to know the route back, as then the mud and puddles weren't so much of a surprise, but what I hadn't thought about was meeting all the other runners coming tghe other way. many of them were running 3 or so abreast, which made it rather difficult to pass on narrow sections of path. Some of them were very kind and seemed to hold back to let those going at a slightly greater speed dash through the gates ahead of them....but then again, maybe they were just wanting to take their time to avoid the splash from the puddles and mud!! I had started to warm up by now so was ready to shed my outer waterproof jacket and so I took it off as I ran back along the riverside bath towards the boathouses and put it down on the tarp with everyone's bag just after crossing the start/finish line. This line was also a bit vague as when you got back to about where you'd started, there were helpers standing by the aid station who (once they'd noticed you) handed you a band to put on your wrist to mark each completed lap. I didn't feel the need to eat or drink after 1 lap, as each lap was about 3.2miles, so after depositing my jacket, I just turned round and headed back out again.

Sporting mud tattoos...

To help me mentally (trying to overrule my legs which were telling me how nice it would be to just lounge around in front of the TV at my parents' house), I set myself little targets...such as trying to keep the guy ahead of me in sight...or making sure the gap opened up behind me to the aforementioned girl. It was also nice to see people at various times en route, so the out and back format greatly helped this, as Rachel and I encouraged each other every time we saw the other one...and after a few everyone was getting more and more familiar!! Another lady I know had come done to run a few laps with a friend of hers so I got to see her too....and on laps 3 and 4 I spotted my parents who'd come out for a morning walk to cheer me on (and take a couple of photos!!).

Various people on various laps

The ethos of the event was for participation rather than competition so as long as you completed at least 1 lap, you got a medal and goodie bag.....you just had to ring a "finisher's bell" rather than pick up a band at the end of whatever lap you finished on, and the marshals documented how long you'd been running for and how many bands you'd collected. People obviously had every different goals...some for a distance, some for a time, and others just to be there. I never saw the young lass after the thrid lap so presumed that she'd stopped then, and I caught up to the leading man at the end of our 5th lap, and then he rang the bell, but I was no longer running alone, as there were people on all sorts of different laps by this time, so noone really knew who was where. People often said to me "Last Lap" as I passed them, but I didn't really know what they meant, but I guess they probably thought I was aiming to run a set distance/number of laps (though I'd no idea what distance/number they thought it was).

My aim beforehand was just to have a long catered run and try to keep going for the whole 7 hours (as it was flatter and less time than the Falkirk event), but I soon realised that that would not be in my best interests. If I wasn't up for it mentally or physically, then I'd probably end up doing myself some mischief rather than good. My left hamstring had tightened up within the first 5 miles and never really loosened off at all, so I decided to curtail my run. To give myself a bit more of a mental challenge and not quit too easily, I decided to run at least a marathon....and then get to 50K....as long as it was just tight, rather than sore. Having passed both of these targets, I decided that 5 hours sounded like a nice round number and so I rang the bell at the end of my lap just before the clock hit 5 hours (I think it was something like 4:56 but I did pick up the pace for the last halfmile or so in order to make sure).

Medal, reclaimed cup and "ultra"pin

I didn't really need a medal or "ultra" pin, but the goodie bag was full of chocolate, crisps and a drink...all of which I needed (and consumed whilst walking abck to my parents' house). Although the aid station had been really well stocked with sweets, biscuits, cheese, crisps, fruit, sausage rolls (!), falafels (!) etc and I'd actually eaten way more than I'd run in miles....I was rather thirsty by the end. The fact that there had been no cup holder for me, meant that my cup probably blew off the table straight away, and so I actually didn't drink anything until I'd run beyond the marathon distance as by that time most people had finished and so there were spare cups lying around. The added bonus of finishing early was that I had time to wak back to my parents' house and luxuriate in a bubble bath with several mugs of hot tea, before getting into the car to drive home (and it was still daylight)...so not a bad day out...though soem R&R is definitely what both my body and head are calling for now!!!

Falkirk 8 Hour trail Run

The calm before the storm (the night before!)

Long runs are often rather uninspiring to think about, when they're just a case of getting the miles in the legs, without actually going somewhere or having amazing views to look at. Depending on what route you choose, and if you are running alone, you might have to work out when and where you are going to get anything to eat and drink, or if you will have to carry it with you.

My friend (and running mum) Fiona mentioned that she had taken part in an ultra event last year as a relay team of 4, but was going to have a go at doing the whole thing herself this year and so I looked it up. It was a looped course - never that inspiring but it does mean there are regular opportunities for food and drink - and classed as "trail", which meant that it could be an ideal long run, as running speed would be irrelevant. I still balked a bit at the idea of it being a timed run (ie run as many laps as you can/want to within the time cutoff) but at least it was "only" 8 hours so a good 1/3 less time than the one I'd done in Australia. 

Some of the on-course flooding, which
led to some rerouting

This one would also be done in daylight (8am-4pm) which was a bonus, the fact that there were lots of relay runners would make it less lonely (in fact there were 350 entrants in total) but the course did look a lot harder - for starters the loops were longer at 3.8 miles (which actually sounded better to me, as I'd rather run fewer longer loops), but it was also entirely within Callendar Park in Falkirk (my only experience of Callendar Park was for the National XC championships many moons ago - and from memory it was rather hilly and very muddy!). Still, if Fi could do it as her ultra debut in her 50s, then I could certainly take the kick up the backside and do it as well, as we'd been saying that we needed a good catchup for ages.

I didn't fancy getting up in the middle of the night to drive up there, so found somewhere to stay the night before....but unfortunately it didn't mean i got much more sleep as I was awake from about 2:30am worrying that I would sleep in through my alarm. The sun rises fairly late in winter in Scotland so it was still pitch black when I walked to registration soon after 7am. Although it wasn't raining, it was rather cold and just walking there set the scene for the day as my shoes got soaked in the huge puddles on the rough path into the park (the course had actually been changed the day before, due to excessive flooding, though they'd reassured us that the laps would still be the same length).

An early start for registration?

I spotted Fi as she was one of the only people to have her "head"torch strapped to the front of her chest, and we joined the registration queue. Most people were there with clubs/groups/friends and so had tents set up for their supporters to be able to hand them things as they passed every lap. I was there on my own and could not find a general aid tent in which to leave my bags of food and spare clothes, but luckily Fiona's friend Karen was also stepping up from the relay and said that her partner had a huge tent and table and they were happy for me to keep my stuff there too (a massive bonus as by now it was starting to rain!). In fact, Karen's partner Tommy was amazing and whilst I was running, laid practically everything from my bag out on the table with military precision, so that I could find whatever I wanted to pick up really easily (the only thing I missed was my big bag of jelly babies....but I think that's because someone made off with them when Tommy was away from the tent).

The registration tent

The start was delayed by 15-20 minutes due to the long queues at registration (I totally understand the delay as it would not have been fair to those not registered, but it was slightly irritating for me, as I had a long way to drive after the end of the event.....which would now also be delayed). At least it meant that we would be starting in daylight, but unfortunately it had also just started to rain, which added to the general frozen feeling of myself, Fi and Karen (wondering why we were there) as we huddled together in the starting pen. Finally we were off....which I guess is rather a non-event at a long ultra, as there is no point haring off when you've to run for so long. Still, I was midpack as we headed out through the tent village and along the rough track to the edge of the park (the very same one I'd come into the park on, soaking my feet in the puddles) and then turned a sharp 90 degrees to the right to climb up a grassy hill. The first section was all grass (and was actually the same route as the XC race I'd done there many moons beforehand), up along, down, up again and then another steep down with a very sharp left hand bend onto a short section of tarmac (a couple of hundred metres at most).

The aid station I never spotted as
you came from the left and turned
90 degrees the way the runner is going

At the end of the tarmac (just before another exit from the park) we turned right and headed up a gravel track which climbed up and up becoming steeper and narrower as it went. Some of the guys I was running behind were discussing if this was the "steep hill" or if there was a lot more later, but unfortunately I couldn't really hear the answer....but I did realise that after a few laps I'd probably know the course fairly well anyway! The top of this climb took us into the really muddy section of the course, though at first it was possible to avoid some of the deepest slippiest stuff by treading on rocks and veering off to the side of the narrow track, but later this became completely impossible. The path was too narrow to overtake with ease and so I found it quite tough on my first lap, as I couldn't really see where I was putting my feet due to being in a train of runners. This mud section started out level and then climbed and descended so actually had a bit of everything, before spitting us out on to gravel trail again.

The gravel trail was wider and so I passed a few people (including a couple of ladies) as it was very runnable, with a nice short but steep descent to relax down as it was much more secure underfoot. I think there was an aid station just to the right of the bottom of this descent, but I actually hardly took it in, as the route turned 90 degrees to the left, and so the downhill momentum carried your away round the corner with only a brief acknowledgement possible for the friendly cheers of the marshals there. The next section was a lovely long runnable trail with a good surface that only undulated slightly so you could get into a decent rhythm until a muddy hairpin corner which took you into a descent down to a roadside footpath which led you in and out of the park over the space of about 100m. A cheerful marshal directed us back into the park (carefully avoiding some strategically placed bollards) and to the next "playful" section. I believe that this section had been rerouted due to flooding but it was still a mudfest...and became more so as the day progressed. We turned 90 degrees left onto the grass, along to the edge of the park, down into a dip and then climbed steeply up the other side, before contouring round to the main "tourist" part of the park.

Callendar House with its "grassy lawns"!!

You'd be forgiven for thinking that you'd almost completed the loop by then as you ran back towards Callendar House and could hear the start/finishline MC on the microphone, but no....another marshal sent us away again to do a lap of the lake - the first half of which was on trail, and then second half of which was in mud...with a final short scramble back up to regain the tarmac where we'd started. Then it was round past the portaloos and a 90degree to the right over the timing mats ready to repeat it all again!

A marshal selfie?

I will not give you a blow by blow account of every lap...as somehow I exceeded anything I thought I'd do and managed 15 of them but just some highlights (and lowlights) I have from the day. The looped format meant that you could pick up your nutrition as and when you wanted it (provided that you'd left it somewhere handily accessible), which was a blessing as unfortunately nothing was provided by the organisation. I know that I stopped and took on nutrition earlier than a guy who had been running with/slightly faster than me, but later on this appeared to have been a good call, as he started to fade well before I did and I actually lapped him by the end. Steady pacing seemed to be the order of the day, as my laps were pretty consistent (well, except for the end but I'll come to that), whilst some people took off really quickly and then faded/dropped out (the early leader is famed for doing that so it was almost a case of watching and waiting to see when he pulled the plug and dropped).

The nature of the course meant that you actually had no real idea where other runners were after you'd passed them, so although after my first lap, I spotted a lady running towards the finish as I was descending the grass back towards the lake on my second loop, I then did not know our separation until I lapped the second and third placed women. It may sound strange but lapping people was actually quite nice as you could encourage your friends (Fi and Karen were walking up the steep muddy hill from the dip near the end of the lap the first time I caught them, and then the second time I passed Fi we had a quick bit of mutual encouragement {it was on a surfaced trail section, whereas when I got Karen the next time it was in the long undulating/uphill muddy section and so we had a "never again!" moment!!}) and I could also let the second and third ladies know the relative gap between them.

The lovely surfaced trail towards the
lake at the end of the lap

You need things to take your mind off the actual run, and the variety of the terrain/course did that to some extent...as did breaking it down into segments/laps in my head (eg this lap for the marathon distance, this one for 50K etc etc)....but also seeing how long it took you to catch/lap people could spur you on. I didn't realise that I'd been wondering where the other ladies were until I noticed relaxing after lapping them, and even more so the next time. The announcer must have been trying to spur me on too as he eventually started announcing my overall position and wondering if I was going to catch the leading man. My body definitely had other ideas about me catching anyone in the latter stages of the event, but I have only myself to blame for that. To be fair, I hadn't prepared enough bottles of liquid calories as I really hadn't expected to do that many laps, but I started to struggle with taking in food because I was just so cold. I had started the event wearing a thermal top, arm warmers, a waterproof jacket and another jacket over the top of that, along with a buff and gloves - it was only after 2 laps that I took the outer jacket off, and then another few before I discarded the buff. After about 4 hours I realised that my sodden gloves were making my hands even colder so I left them behind when picking up food and just used the mitts on my waterproof, but there was no way I was taking any of my other layers off!!!

The "least" amount I wore all day,
heading downhill on a good surface
towards the marshalls/aid station

The rain lasted from the start until about 30 minutes before the finish and I don't think I ever had proper feeling in my fingers or toes all day. This made opening wrappers a bit of a saga, hence I ate less than I should have done/had expected to, but again I can blame no-one but myself for that. I was debating/making deals with myself on lap 14 whether I should just run it really slowly so that I did not have time to even attempt another lap (if you started and failed to finish a large lap within the time period, the distance would not count....but I did not really fancy doing several short laps of 600m near to the finish line). Unfortunately (!) I made it round with enough time for another lap, but as it was my last one, I did not pick up anything to eat (I hadn't the previous time either as I talked myself into lap 14 being my last one). I realised that I needed to put in a bit of effort if I was to make it home safely, but whenever I tried my legs wouldn't respond and I felt like being sick. I was the last person to start that that lap so it was rather a lonely one, as many of the marshals had already headed back to the finish area. Finally I spied another man ahead of me and managed to catch up to him. he seemed to be "adopting the run-walk strategy" and although I was "running" the whole time, we weren't moving at very different paces. He reassured me that I would definitely make it in time....which should have been an amazing thing to hear, but it seemed my body reacted to it by going into shut down. By the time I reached the final muddy section round the lake, I was struggling to run, and on reaching the grassy slope I was staggering and hardly walking in a straight line. Although I could see the timing mat about 200m away, I really doubted I would make it - a marshal offered to help me, but I worried about being DQ'd and my whole day being "in vain" so I waved him away.

Freezing at the prize giving!

I remembered that I had an "emergency" gel in my pocket...this was just such an emergency and it revived me enough to get across the line with enough time to be waved onto a short loop. I confess to not running much of the short loop - it was rather in inelegant stagger - but as I had not been aware enough to pick up a peg (which would be used to measure how much of your final short loop you'd covered). Therefore I was able to hear the countdown and know that as long as I crossed that mat at the end of the short loop, there was no point going any further as it wouldn't be counted. I managed it but was then "done" so luckily Toni (one of my friends who'd come to watch the finish) revived me with hot sweet drinks in order for me to get back to Tommy and Karen's tent for a cup of tea and pancakes covered with lashing of jam and butter - they tasted like absolute bliss!!!

Weekend spoils :-)

All in all, it was a good solid long run, except for the self-inflicted wobbles at the end, and I was happy to have run much further than I'd set out thinking I would manage, but the real heroes of the day for me (apart from Tommy and his table of supplies, and Toni at the end) were Fi and Karen who achieved amazing distances in their first ever ultrarun - running 46 and 45  miles respectively as 4th and 8th placed females - epic!!

Vogrie and Tyne Valley Trail 10K

A map of the 5K loop

I've mentioned that I "sometimes" need a bit of a kick up the backside to put some effort into my running and so have to find something that makes me answerable. Some people are very good at going out themselves and doing a tempo run or a hard interval session, but I know that I would find it rather easy to stop/back off when the run becomes uncomfortable. I need to inject a bit of pace (relatively anyway) into my running these days, and so when a friend suggested a trail 10K race that she was doing, and I happened to have been staying with some friends just down the road from it the night before, it seemed ideal!

Race goodies

Vogrie House (on a better day!)

Ok, so it seemed less than ideal on the morning of the event, as my friend messaged me to say that she wasn't going to make it....and the weather didn't look that appealing out of the window (cold, grey and windy.....but on a positive note, not the forecast rain!) but I'd paid my entry fee so I might as well get on with it. It seemed a popular event judging by the number of cars pulling into Vogrie Country Park (there was actually a 5K, the 10K and a children's 1,6K race), but everyone was rather rugged up as they wandered down to registration (I was wearing a tshirt, 2 long sleeved tops and a coat and still found the wind bitingly cold). Doing a "warm-up" jog didn't help that much, but whilst sheltering in the toilet block (I loved the hot air hand-dryers!!) another girl told me that she'd checked out the route and most of it was in the trees and so sheltered from the wind, so I stripped down to tshirt and shorts and ducked into the starting pen.

Up the first hill with the "crowds"

The tree-lined alley

The 10K runners were set off 5 minutes before the 5K, which actually seemed quite a small gap as the faster 5K runners would rapidly catch the 10K tailenders, and quite possibly have to overtake the whole field during the course of their 1 lap race (the 10K was two laps of the same course). The usual rush at the start was quickly stretched out as we headed straight up a hill, but then we joined a narrow path which meant no overtaking was possible (though I managed to duck past a couple of runners by veering off into the mud). A marshal directed down an alleyway of intertwined trees which would have been beautiful on a sunny day (admittedly there was little time to appreciate the aesthetics as you tried to avoid roots underfoot and low branches overhead), then it was along to a u-turn through a gate. I made the most of the short stretch of grassy field to gain some more places before we entered the woods again. 

Stunning scenery

We were quite sheltered from the wind in the woods, and although the  narrow trail wound steeply down at first, it soon widened out so that you could get into your stride unhampered by other runners. As usual, I'd started conservatively (ie slowly) and so had been passing people up to this point, but after a couple of minutes of hearing breathing on my shoulder a man did run past. It was interesting to see my strengths and weaknesses by watching him and the man ahead (who we both gradually hauled back). I was stronger on the flats and uphills, but they were much better on the downs, especially the steeper ones with muddy/leafy corners. 

Running up that hill!!

At the briefing, they had said that the first half of the lap (round Vogrie Country Park) was the fast half, and this was definitely the case, but I think I actually preferred the second half. We dropped down into the Tyne Valley, crossing a couple of bridges and slippery boardwalks and then wound our way along the water on a narrow, muddy, rooty, but pretty trail. Another marshal warned of a slippery bridge and hill beyond - and it certainly was a lung-buster....not too long but steep enough to hurt (and let me close back up on the guys). The downhill afterwards was steady enough for me to pass one of them and then we got to the final km of the lap!

What a final kilometre - most of the climb occurred here....initially a steep path zigzagging up the slope that then became steps as it steepened further. A few flatter metres gave you false hope as you had further to ascend. I finally passed by my original overtaker on this climb, but when I saw a it was a steep drop to a bridge over a creek I figured he'd fly by again. Luckily it was too short for this to happen, as the final push was the toughest yet. I topped out to catch my breath on a relatively flat run back to the starting field to do it all again. I though that the second lap might be rather lonely as there was no-one in sight ahead of me (and I'd not heard the announcer calling anyone through before I got there, so I figured they were all away and gone a long time ago) but at least it meant that I could run my own pace......as long as I could convince myself that I was still "racing"!

Catching up/lapping some 5K runners

Into the finish...

By the time I was on the second lap, there were people out with their children (some supporting family members in the events but others just enjoying the park), walking dogs etc so it "kept me honest" (ie running) as they were all very friendly and supportive. As I got to the end of the waterside stretch I caught the last 5K participant and so although I didn't spot another one until after the first climb, it then gave me a bit of a focus to keep reeling them in, as I could encourage them in the passing as much as they could me. As I was still very much running, and several of them were walking, they would kindly move to the side of the path and give me space. Having done a lap already, I could be quite accurate in my encouragement, especially when they really were on the last climb. It was kinda tempting to walk that last steep one, but I didn't want to "lose face" in front of those 5Kers that I'd just caught, so I made myself keep going, knowing it was short and that the final top I could see, really was "the final top".

"Prize"-giving

A nice run into the finish and I could collect my finisher's buff and banana, put on extra clothes and do a little cool down. Times are rather irrelevant for trail races, which are often approximations of distances, but I think that my finish time was not much more than twice what I'd seen when glancing at my watch as I started the second lap, so the fact that it was a race had kept me from slowing down much, despite wanting to in that last kilometre. It was only when I saw the results later that evening at home that I realised that there hadn't been that many people in front of me after all - they were just so far away that I'd never seen them! 

Abraham's Tea Round

It's not very easy to motivate yourself to go running when back in the cold, dark, damp UK after a few weeks in sunny warm Australia, especially when you're working in any daylight hours there are, but my strategies to make myself do it are to enter events, set myself a challenge or arrange to meet friends.

I was travelling over to Durham for the funeral of a friend who was well known in the Durham running/triathlon/coaching scene and so wanted to do something "in his memory". When I had started to do a bit of exercise after my break due to RED-S (but was still not running at all), Allan had taken me on a couple of bike rides and we'd always finished in a café, chatting about all things running and sports related. It therefore seemed appropriate to attempt to try to run the Abraham's Tea Round for him.

The summits that must be reached

Abraham's Tea Round is a traverse of all the summits which can be seen from Abraham's Café in George Fisher's shop, Keswick (and starts/finishes at George Fisher's front door). It covers a distance of just under 30 miles with just under 12,000 feet of vertical ascent/descent. The summits to reach are Catbells (451m), Robinson (737m), High Stile (807m), Hobcarton Crag (739m), Grisedale Pike (791m), Eel Crag (840m), Sail (773m), Causey Pike (637m), Rowling End (435m) and Barrow (456m). If you can show your route trace and completed time (including all stops etc) at George Fisher's, then you "earn" a free coffee and piece of cake. As everyone knows, I'm always up for coffee and cake, but due to Allan's similar love of a good café stop, this is why it seemed to be an appropriate day out. 

Setting off at 7am

I wasn't sure when to begin as I knew I would be having to run part of it in the dark, but hoped to get away with not too much more than the first few miles and last few miles as they were on road......well climbing Catbells with a headtorch wouldn't be so bad but I wasn't too keen on trying to do many descents in the dark! 

I decided to set off soon after 7am - which is actually quite a good time for finding somewhere to park your car in Keswick, but by the time I'd gone to George Fisher's for the obligatory start photo, strapped on my headtorch, turned on my watch etc, it was about 7:15. Keswick was relatively quiet but I did have to negotiate the guys setting up their market stalls by the moot hall, but I was soon off out of town on the track towards Portinscale. 

I'm not sure that I've ever run along the road to Catbells (I have done it in reverse during some versions of the Derwentwater 10 mile race) and I was surprised at how hilly it was. It was quite nice to be out alone with just the light of my headtorch, listening to the hoots of owls in the trees, but I did find myself saying to myself "there'll be a lot of walking happening today" as my legs seemed to feel every incline (not the best thought in what should have been, for me, the easiest part of the day!).

Having faffed around a bit meeting a friend around the side of Catbells, it was light enough to turn off my head torch, but despite the run along the road, I still felt rather cold due to the bitter wind. There were a couple of walkers also climbing Catbells, but hardly anyone was out, though I had to remind myself that it wasn't actually that early (I still get slightly confused between the time of sunrise in the UK vs in Australia).

After dropping down into Littletown, the route essentially reversed the Bob Graham Round route up onto Robinson (well, that's if you run the round clockwise as most people do). I hadn't been back to the area since my round.....and I had done that part in the dark anyway....so it was nice to go the other way in daylight (though actually via a slightly different route.....which did involve a couple of tough, slippery, icy scrambles. Not only was there more and more snow on the ground the higher you climbed, but the cloud closed in and visibility was really poor. I was worried about missing the top, but no fear....I touched it and popped out of the cloud again on the way down to Buttermere. 

I only found a specific map after
running the round!

It was a nice (mainly) runnable descent down to the road and onto the path that circumnavigates Buttermere. If you looked over at High Stile from the descent, it had appeared covered in snow but clear of cloud.....but the wind soon changed this. First there was some painful rain/hail, but this settled during a rough scramble up heather and rocks, only for the cloud to close in again once above the snowline. At least there were other people having a break by the summit cairn so it was hard to miss.....but then a decision had to be made. Carry on along to Red Pike and follow the path down to Bleaberry Tarn, or backtrack slightly and head straight down aiming for the tarn. 

The second option sounded better despite it being rather rocky initially, as the likelihood was that the path would be really slippery and icy....and you could actually bypass the tarn itself running down grassier slopes and joining the path below it. Unfortunately, there was no other way back down to Buttermere (the other end of it this time) except for down the path which certainly meandered, zigged and zagged about, with enough large steps and jagged rocks that it was hard to get into a rhythm or run at any speed. 

I had a big low spell climbing up away from the lake again. The next summit was not a "target" but had to be climbed in order to get to the pass beyond it and the path to Hobcarton and Grisedale Pike. There were brief spells of sunshine but the wind was also still gusting so I kept taking my head and ear cover on and off every few minutes. I was walking up rather slowly as the fatigue and vague aches I'd felt in my legs early in the run seemed to have multiplied out of sight. At least this slow speed meant I could get lots of food down along with some drink, as I recognised that a potential calorie/energy deficit was compounding my wish to stop. Still, I reminded myself that I was doing this for Allan, and that kept me moving forwards.

A collage of the peaks as see from the cafe

Once over the top and running across and down the other side of the next pass, the fuel had kicked in, and I realised that I thought I'd be able to get round from there, no matter how long it would take. It was hard to judge time passing, as the terrain made speed very variable, as did the weather.....not just from a visibility point of view, but whether it was snowy, icy or clear underfoot, and also how gusty the wind was. 

Having been out to Hobcarton and Grisedale, it was time to climb up to the highest point on the round - Eel Crag at 840m. The route up was a steep climb up a boulderfield/scree, made harder by ice and snow, not just meaning that it was quite slippery underfoot, but that my gloves got wet when grasping rocks to haul myself up/stabilise myself in gusts of wind. Topping out on the plateau was a bit of a nonevent as the cloud had closed in again.....it was like running in a barren, frozen wasteland, just aiming to keep going up until the trig point came into view.

From the high point of Eel Crag, it was all downhill (relatively). The ridgeline was mostly runnable and there were some great views once clear of cloud. Sail and Causey Pike came and went and then came the odd "summit' of Rowling End. I call it "odd" as it's not really a peak, but just the end of the ridgeline, which you can see from Abraham's Café window (and from Littletown which was now down below again, having come almost full circle since running through it this morning). 

My "intended" run down from Barrow to Braithwaite

Rowling End was an out and back along a narrow muddy trail, which was followed by a heathery, brackeny, descending traverse down to cross a road and creek before picking up the path to climb the final summit of Barrow (luckily the visibility was good at this level as it would have been easy to miss this path). I've run a race which finished with a run off Barrow down into Braithwaite and so I figured it would be a familiar easy run from there. Unfortunately I was obviously a bit tired (mentally as well as physically) as I went "slightly" off course and ended up coming down too high up the valley. All was not lost as I followed some dry stone walls along 2 sides of a triangle back to where I'd intended to be.

I didn't really have a clue as to the time (as my watch had remained way up my sleeve hidden by clothes and gloves all day), but it looked like darkness was still quite a long way off, so I would be able to finish without my head torch, and more importantly before the cafe shut.....as I was desperate for a hot cuppa!

Finally at the finish

The final few miles were a mixture of farm road, tarred road and footpaths (both sealed and unsealed) as I had to go down and through Braithwaite, along the side of the main road, back into Portinscale, and finally retrace my route out over the footbridge and down the back footpath in Keswick. Maybe it was the thought of that hot drink, maybe it was relief to be finishing, or maybe the calories had fully kicked in, but I managed a few miles of about 7 minute/mile pace along there (well, except for the uphill into Portinscale which was definitely a lot more up that's I'd remembered/wanted by that stage).

My "race" trace!

Keswick was still full of shoppers and market stalls, which again led me to believe that it was probably still mid afternoon, so I did some good slalom practice along the high street and past the Moot Hall (I would say it was a fartlek but there was no chance of any bursts of speed happening!) and to George Fisher's. Only after I'd gone into the shop and asked a member of staff to take my picture did I dare look at my watch......I'd banked on taking about 10 or so hours, and I was well under 8! Runs in December, January and February count as "Winter Rounds" and as it turned out I'd unwittingly set a fastest time (so far) for a female in summer or winter......not because of any talent or speed of mine, but just because so few people have run it as yet (for all I know, that time was beaten then next day, as I saw from people's pictures on social media that they definitely had better weather in terms of visibility and less snow/wind). The weird thing about submitting your watch trace/time to earn your coffee and cake, is that you have to set it as a "race" (so that it records your total time, including all your stops and breaks etc)......I don't think I've ever done a "race" with no other competitors, no marshals and no checkpoints before! Still, at least I arrived back in the daylight with no mishaps and could head over to Allan's funeral knowing how much he would have enjoyed hearing about all about it (in a café of course)!

Narrabeen Allnighter

I'm am almost certain that most people would think that I was certifiably crazy to even consider a 12 hour overnight run, never mind finish it the morning of a 24 hour flight back from Australia to the UK. It was not exactly how I'd imagined spending my last night in Australia, but as my friend Rod was doing it, I figured that I wouldn't get much sleep if I went to the start to see him off, supported for a bit and was then there for the last hour or so (especially as it would take me the best part of an hour to get there) so I might as well enter it. It started at 8:30pm and finished at 8:30am - I'm quite clumsy when running in daylight so I was rather worried about falling over in the dark as it was officially a "trail race", and I've never run continuously for that long before. There was an option of a midnight marathon, but that would be wholly in the dark (as you'd hope to finish before dawn) and would probably just involve me hanging around stressing about it after the overnighters set off, so I thought it probably wasn't a better option.

The route was an out and back loop of just over 5K along the edge of the Narrabeen lakes, and to get over one of my worries about how gnarly it might be, we took the kids for a bike ride round the lake whilst we "ran" alongside. That proved to me that the course was nothing to be scared of - 500m of it was on a paved cycle path and the rest was groomed trail/path with the odd metal boardwalk, sharp corner and a little incline or two. My main worry was not physical but rather mental, but Rod told me to stop worrying about it and just get on with it, as he was sure I'd be fine and do well!

My favourite volunteer role!

On the Saturday morning I couldn't lie in, so was up early and went to volunteer at North Sydney parkrun. I marshalled at an interesting corner (runners come at you from 2 direction on all 3 laps and you have to direct them round 90 degree bends without them crashing into runners going the other way) but spent half the time doing an interesting "mosquito slapping" dance as I was under the trees. My main role at parkrun was actually manning the fundraising cake/cookie/icy pole stall. Most people will have heard about the terrible bushfires sweeping through Australia so we were having a fundraiser sale of homebaked (and purchased) goods for the rural fire station at Rainbow Flat, which had itself been destroyed when flames rushed through the town. The twin brother of one of the runners I know is a "firie" there....and the support was amazing. Not only did people buy the cakes etc but many of them made considerable donations, including from family members overseas, eg in the UK (it was definitely a bonus having a creditcard reader there), and we raised over $1500 - which apparently was just the start of it, as several other parkruns then followed suit over the next few weeks - brilliant work!!

The rest of the day was spent relaxing (trying to sleep but I'm rubbish at that when I know I "need to" so mainly watching TV) in front of the fan (as it got up to 41 degrees), carb loading.....and obviously worrying :-)

Leftover cakes became the aid station

We headed over to Narrabeen at about nice and early for the 8:30pm start but there still weren't any parking spaces nearby, dropped off a chair and some bags (containing a change of shoes, towels, snacks, jackets etc) not far from the start/finish turnaround area, made up some drinks bottles and left them on a table and tried to register. It was all rather disorganised, but eventually we got our numbers (and a free visor etc which I immediately donated to my friend who was selling the rest of the day's fundraising cakes), chatted to a runner or two and generally milled about waiting for the briefing and the start. The briefing (which in itself was a non event as you couldn't really hear anything and he didn't say much) and the start were both rather delayed, as the timing company arrived relatively late and then had to set up. Most people had their own support crews or were running the 2 person relay event, so there was not much of a general aid station.....in fact, it appeared almost as if this was a first-time event, not one which had been running for several years!

The "trophy" table set out at registration

Although it was almost dark by now, it was still in the high 20s so I actually stripped off my vest and decided just to run in a crop top and running skirt, though left my vest near my water bottle in case I wanted it as it cooled off later (wishful thinking maybe!). We all set off together (solos and relay runners) so had to be careful not to trip over the timing mats, and then there was a crush over the little footbridge that was really only wide enough for 1 or 2 people. The path from the footbridge suddenly turned a right angle to the right, and so we were all slightly confused as to which way to go, but everyone headed in slightly different routes across the grass straight ahead and over a rooty/sandy section back to join the trail path as it returned to the lakeshore. What made this section slightly more confusing it that we had to pass a BBQ area where a large group were having a party with alcohol, music and disco lights. When I first heard the noise, I had thought that it was entertainment put on by the race organisers but it son became apparent that it wasn't, especially as they got rather more inebriated as the race went on (but in a nice way as although you sometimes had to run round them, they were all trying to be encouraging to the runners....in their own special way, whether that involved waving drinks bottles, cheering or trying to high 5 us!!).

Rod and I started off running together which was really nice as we could chat and it meant that we set off at a nice steady relaxed pace (though I did worry that I was holding him back) and the light from his headtorch was good enough for the initial dwindling light that I didn't even need to turn mine on for the first couple of laps. We stuck together for the first 4 laps (each lap was just shy of 5.3K) hardly more from a pace or two apart which was really nice as the field was initially quite crowdy and you had to be careful not to crash into other people, trip over the odd stone and then duck the occasional low branch. There were a few twists and turns on the course and a small incline that I was sure would feel like a major hill later on.

At the end of the 4th lap, I stopped to grab something to eat at the aid station and then carried on round the turnaround cones and over the timing mat. Rod had stopped for a fraction longer than me, but I was sure he would catch me up just as he had on all the previous laps when I rounded the 180 slightly quicker than he did, as his basic stride length and pace was greater than mine. I spent all of that run out expecting him on my shoulder, and I thought that everyone I heard coming onto my shoulder was him. It was really hard to work out what was going on race-wise, not only as we had so long to go, but because some of the relay runners were swopping every lap, some seemed to be doing a few laps each, and some people had obviously changed the event they were in - stepping up or down from relay and solo, and still others had taken the places of those who'd pulled out so there were some men running with ladies' names and vice versa.

Unfortunately we didn't run together again after that, but it was nice being able to recognise someone else when you were going the other way or passing them.....and working out relative separation distances lap by lap did help pass the time. The marathon runners started at midnight and joined the melee, adding slightly to the confusion. Luckily I had already passed the start/finish turnaround before they set off, so by the time I met them on my return leg, the field had spread out and we could all pass each other. Another few laps passed by as I waited to be overtaken by the leading marathon man! I was really glad that the marathoners had joined in to add another slight dimension to the run, as from about 4-5 hours in, I was rather "over it" and really wondered what I was doing taking part....and why o why I hadn't just done the marathon (I definitely would have done if you could have started the marathon at 8:30pm as I felt fine passing through that distance).

Not the most exciting of routes!

I saw Rod ahead of me on one lap and spied that he'd changed his shoes, and he confirmed that he had started to get blisters on one foot, but that the change of shoes had really helped. Soon after that I missed seeing him on a lap or two, and then I couldn't spot him any more. I had been secretly hoping that he'd suggest we call it a day and go home, but as I didn't see him again to suggest it myself,  I just had to hoped that everything was OK. I gave myself small targets to get through each lap.....at the end of this one, it may be starting to get light so you can ditch your headtorch (I was getting a headache from wearing it and it did make it harder to pour water over my head at the aid stations).....OK, so not that one but definitely after the next one!

Not sure if this was when
they realised I wasn't in my 20s!

Finally it got light enough (a kind of hazy red sun, from the smoke in the air from the bushfires) that I turned my light off, and thankfully put it down on a table as I picked up some crisps, cookies (yes, I had been eating crisps, cookies, sweets and small pieces of cake from the aid station as well as the occasional pieces of cut fruit!!) and my bottle. After running round the turnaround marker, I heard Rod shout - he came over from where he'd been sitting with our gear and would pick up the torch from where I'd left it. It was nice to see him again, but it only clicked into my tired brain after I'd headed back out again, that he might have stopped running completely and not just be taking a break. I decided I'd ask him when I came back the next time, but I couldn't see him anywhere so off I went again. This time I was motivated to run that lap, as it would take me over 100km, which was the >40s female record. 

In a way, I have to be thankful that he wasn't hanging around the start/finish area and had gone to get changed and have a little sleep, as if I'd spotted him, I would have gone over to ask if I could stop and we could go home, but as it was, I just had to keep going. Those last few hours did seem to stretch out away from me, even with my little "targets" (1 more lap for the overall female record, another for the male >40 record, now you might as well just keep going etc etc).

Cat and mouse...

As I passed the start/finish on one lap, the organiser told me I was "running so well, we'll have to get drugs testers"....it turned out that in the dark, he'd though I was a young runner (in her 20s....I think that's a compliment) that was running too fast and would then have to stop, but as it got lighter he realised that I wasn't so young (not sure that's a compliment) and so might run a decent distance! On another lap I was announced as the "race leader", only to hear him correct himself to "female race leader" as a guy passed me. The last few laps became a game of cat and mouse with this guy.....he would be walking up ahead of me, and I trot past (not fast but steady) and so he'd start running again and shoot past, only for the process to be repeated again and again.

Not such bad consistency
for the full laps!

The organisers had said that if we completed a full lap with enough time to get to the far end timing mat before the 12 hours ran out, we could go there and that distance would be counted, so I spent the last 90minutes of the event trying to calculate this in my head. In a way I kind of hoped that I would not have time for that final outrun, but my stubbornness wouldn't let me slow down enough for this to happen and I found myself pushing the last bit (well, as much as I could as that small incline was definitely a mountain by now!). When I came to the start/finish for the final time, I knew that I had just about enough time to get to the far end again, but the leading man had just stopped. Everybody yelled and whooped when I was asked if I was going again and I replied "of course", so he restarted running too. As we were running along the trail, I asked if he'd like to run and finish together, but he replied that no way was he finishing with a girl (again, it may have been a compliment to be called a girl by someone half my age, but it did seem to take away from the whole friendly supportive nature of all the other runners.....and it's not as if there were any prizes or anything!). 

Waiting for the results...

With the male winner

I was happy to let him go, as the worry that I might not get to the far end before the clock ran out (and so that rep would have been for nothing) kept me going. I have never been able to sprint, and certainly not against a much younger man with much longer legs, so we finished on the same distance, with him a few seconds ahead. 

I do have to thank him and his friend (a relay runner who also finished at the far end) though, because as we were painfully walking back to the start, they spotted some friends who had come to support them, and they kindly gave us a lift back to the start. I had been told by a friend who'd done the event previously that they cooked a fabulous breakfast at the finish, but unfortunately austerity rules and there was no such breakfast, so I just gorged on anything left over at the aid station before we headed home for a well-earned wash.....and then for me to head to airport after a brief nap!

How to finish a holiday :-)

What a way to end your holiday, but I'm glad I did it, as it taught me that I am mentally stronger than I think I am.....though by the time I was driving to work in the cold and dark at 8am 2 days later, I could hardly remember running through a 5am dawn in a crop top and running skirt!!

New Year 2020

People often make New Year's resolutions that pale and fade by the second or third week in January, so I much prefer the notion of a new year being a time for a new start or a change, even a small one, to your lifestyle.

Early at Mt Penang

I was pleasantly surprised when my two young Birt relatives (my second cousins once removed for anyone who's interested) said that they would like to do their first parkrun if I would run with them.

Round and round the gardens

New Year's Day is the only day of the year when you can record two official parkruns so my cousin Tom and I headed off to run Mt Penang parkrun ourselves at 7:30am, and then I cycled down to meet Tom's brother William and his daughters Ruby (aged 10) and Ellie (aged 7) who were themselves cycling along to Woy Woy parkrun for the 9:30am start. 

Finishing at Mt Penang

Ruby, Ellie and I headed off together and though Ellie was keen, Ruby was definitely less enamoured with the whole concept. The course is a simple 2.5km out along a cycle path with the return by the same route. Ruby kept asking me if we could stop and turn back, but as Ellie was keen to keep going, I did my best to encourage Ruby as well. I gave her the option of having a rest on a park bench and waiting for us to come back after turning around, but she preferred to take walking breaks, drop back and then sprint to catch us up. The refrain of "can we stop now?" did become rather monotonous, as she seems to be practicing for her grumpy teenage years.

Ellie was a star and although she kept turning back to look for Ruby she kept running all the way beyond the end of the cycle path, across a stretch of rough ground around the far cone. We had a few short walk breaks (especially when she had a stitch) but far  fewer than I had expected and she loved to run fast down any slopes.

Running in with Ellie

Ruby didn't actually make it as far as the cone but was most of the way there before she turned and came back with us on the return leg. Luckily, her mum and aunt were also walking their debut parkrun (with the dog) so one of them was happy to accompany her back when we bumped into them. This let Ellie continue on at a faster pace.....and although we had a few more walk breaks later on, she was brilliant.....happily running through the line in just under 39minutes! It was rather warm so she decided that she'd like to try it again in winter as she'd get less thirsty, but I loved seeing how much she enjoyed the whole experience (and not just the chocolate cake she got at the finish). 

And back to run in with Ruby

Ellie proudly showing our finish barcodes!

I then went back and managed to get Ruby to run the final little stretch so that her younger cousins could clap and cheer her in. I think she surprised herself with how much of it she managed (taking about 50minutes in total) which will help her if she chooses to go back and do another one, as a lot of what stopped her running was a lack of self confidence (which I can certainly empathise with). 

It was great to see people of all ages, shapes and sizes coming together to celebrate the start of 2020 in this way (which seems much more appropriate than fireworks in a country that is currently being devastated by nature, ie bushfires).....and long may an appreciation of being outdoors, healthy and fit whilst hanging out with friends and family be celebrated!