Coast to Coast - Day 2

 After a hearty Cumbrian Full English breakfast at Yew Crags it was a short flat road to the start of day 2. 50km and 8200ft of climb. The legs felt superb…..so much so I was worried about pride before a fall. 

It was 500m of road then a 4km climb up 2,200ft of Greenup Edge with High Raise just to the right at the top. Wow. This was verdant and beautiful. Empty and vast. Bloody hilly. I made mistakes at the top, there was no signage and no GPX file today. It was hard to map read and watch the constant boulder hewn path save for a short paved section. 

Local stonemasons were pressing on up to build more paved course as I made my way, this time with Black Diamond carbon fibre poles, gentle first past Calf Crag and Easdale tarn, dropping rapidly to cross the A 591 near grassmere. That next section the wheels nearly came off up Great Tongue Gill and I gave myself a stern talking to. Then on to Patterdale 

This was going to be the biggest climb out of the valley for the entire week. I hadn’t anticipated just how much it was going to be, up, down, up, down again, relentless for a couple of hours. I then did a wrong turn and ended up bagging 2 more Wainwright peaks. I had plenty of gels and water so it was about navigating successfully and grinding out the ascent

This was up to the highest point at Kidsty Pike, 2559ft up or 780m. It was lovely, but so vast and I had seen almost nO one since Patterdale. 

With that came some welcome descent. I should have taken on board the advice and gone across the next 4 peaks but I wanted to descend and avoid the extra 1000ft so I took the main route around Derwent Water. This is actually a reservoir and the route round the side was barely walkable yet runnable. 

And it was awful running. It took forever to get round 8km of path. I went pat a couple who were on their biggest day who were in bits….and then it was over. Lake District done. 100km over 2 days, 9 hours a day. 

I left the C2C at Butnbanks and then went off trail to my dinner and bed at the marvellous Mardale Inn in Bampton. I didn’t mind the extra 2.3km run and what a treat. Amazing pie dinner, great beer and a superb suite. I had such a good nights sleep. Legs were intact. Body was fine. I loved today. So lucky to be able to do this.

Coast to Coast day 1

St Bees to Rosthwaite -50km

Starting with a fry up and then a run down to the beach, tradition has it that you dip a toe in the sea to start the journey. 

I headed across the beach and up to St Bees head with the first 6-7 miles hugging the coast on a tiny overgrown path that was difficult to get up any speed. Nevertheless, I was on the start of my odyssey and after many adjustments of straps (this was fully self sufficient so I had to carry as much as I could for 50ish km every day) to accommodate the weight on my back I was feeling just about OK

Every time a sign comes into focus there is a sense of relief. Yes I had my excellent Harvey map and a GPX (that was to crash my Garmin later that day) but the welcoming sign of The Sign (C2C) was completely comforting that I was on track.

Heading inland now I began to experience the mild undulations that signalled the mountains of the Lake District were near. Today had 6000ft. I entered and quickly exited the villages of Moor Row and Cleator. I was hoping to buy a drink at Cleator 11 miles in but no shops….i filled my bottles at a garden tap on the way to Dent

Now every post about Dent on C2C social groups is about is it open, is it not? It’s basically a forested area often closed for landless or cutting trees. The alternative route seemed just fine and the first 1000 footer of the week

This was damp but lovely and barely a soul around. I think this was because I was setting out much earlier than the walkers. 

I really enjoyed the next section and was happy to take a lead from local knowledge. As I got to Ennerdale bridge, a nice old fella said to me he didn’t understand why to route went south of Ennerdale as the North route was more runnable, albeit half a mile longer. 

Now Ennerdale is a thing of beauty and I was ‘locked on’. Again no shops in the village so water had to come from carefully selected streams 

This was awesome, a great run and by now only 10 miles to go.

Boom 

2 things happened. My mojo disappeared. Firstly the Garmin crashed. I think the GPX file was corrupted or too big. Secondly, after a gentle 1000ft up to Black Sail past Haystacks on the left, it was very steep up loft beck (which I sat in as it was now 28 degrees and not a cloud in the sky) 
 

I was up at Grey Knotts just below the summit at 2300ft and was out of gas. I located the old tramway track and over to Honnister Slate mine where I duly downed 2 purchased cans of Fanta much to the amusement of watching tourists. 

Now the downhills are touch to prepare for. 5km down with 2000 ft of descent means running like John Wayne at 23% which mashed my quads. 

At the bottom, the village of Rosthwaite. My B&B was 1km from the path, but then I found a youth hostel just out of the wooded section and people were having a beer.

So I sat down for a pint! Gosh that tasted superb

A gentle bimble to the excellent Yew Tree Farm accommodation to be welcomed with a beer, a meal and a great conversation about the next day on which way to go to avoid the knarly path around Derwent Water. You have to pre-book a meal but it’s great food and the room was huge. 

Kit wash. Organise. Post on socials and bed by 9! I made it through day 1. What would I feel like in the morning?

Coast to Coast day day -1

 So I arrived on a long train journey up to St Bees Head in Cumbria the afternoon before. I was full of doubt. What if the legs weren’t up for it? What if my bag got lost in transit? What if the sole came off my shoe mid run? So many what ifs and doubts going around my head.

I had this idea 2 years ago to run Wainwright’s Coast to Coast for my 50th birthday. The route is 192 miles and the 6000 or so pilgrims who attempt this each year do so by walking, usually over 14 or 21 days. I intended to run it….in 7 days. It was to be (including having to get from the route to my hotels each day, just under 50km a day and 27,000ft of hills. For 3 months leading up to it, the planning, the resources and the training never felt enough. Here I was at a cute little B&B half a mile from the sea, ready to start tomorrow. 

I calmed my nerves by having a sticky toffee pudding and collecting the all important pebbles that you pick up in St Bees and drop into the sea at Robin Hoods Bay on the other side of the country. I had one for each of the 3 amazing girls in my family and one for myself

I then went to pack, repack and repack again. All I could now think of was the broken duffle bag where the zip split on the journey up here. 

I had a really early night!

 It has been a while.....

I've not posted on my blog in a fair few years. TBH I had almost forgotten about it until something popped up in my inbox.

Where do I start?

Perhaps this summer......

I am now up to 124 Marathons or Ultras.....The majority are ultras, I would have to go back and look at the spreadsheet but It is likely to be over 100 ultras as I haven't run marathon distance for about 4 or 5 years now. 

This summer was a plan in the making. Something that was hatched in the mind about 15 years ago, even before I broke my leg and was told I would never run again. I had a plan for my 50th birthday. To run the Alfred Wainwright route of 192 miles across the country, from West to East, across the Lake District, Westmoreland Hills, Pennines, Yorkshire Dales, North York Moors and Cleveland Hills all 27,000 ft of ascent and 192 miles (plus the added miles to my hotels and back to the trail each day) in 7 days

I was literally shitting this for about a year and leading up to the summer was not able to sleep every night. Busy family life had meant only 3 ultras the previous year and only 1 50km ultra race leading up to the big run. That said, I have spent far more time on the trail 'exploring' and doing things like running down to the coast and having a personal challenge than spending £150 on a 50k on trail that I have run 100 times.

A few days back from Egypt where I ran every day and we were ready. Father in law's 90th birthday, a few days in Liverpool and then a train up to St Bees for a B&B and a pub dinner on my own and then waking up in the morning with 192 miles to run........

So it all sounded so simple.......ONLY 192 miles to run but what about the logistics and the food and injury????

I left my amazing wife and kids at Liverpool Lime St and then got the train up to St Bees. 3 hours in and the most drunk mysogenistic skinhead sits opposite downing can after can after can of booze as his partner gets increasingly uncomfortable....."WTF are you doing coming to my town" he states...... I didn't entertain, other than to look down at my single can of Journey Juice (Stella) and say "My can is bigger than your can"

With this he exploded, shouted and then got onto his phone as his mate had invited him to a buffet at a social club. (class)

I got off the trail and as the line was closed due to a landslide, had to get a rail replacement minibus for an hour until I got to St Bees.

I got to my digs, walked down to the beach where the C2C started, picked up my pebbles ( more of that later), had an ice cream and then headed back into the village. Food was awful. A crap pub selling nothing but sausage and chips. Bed and breakfast was superb though.

Then I got up in the morning, had a half mile warm up down to the beach and off across the country......

What adventure awaits????

Round the Island

 

This morning I had a plan to get up early and do a lap of Mersea Island. It comes in at just over 13 miles but add on the run to the shop to grab a lucozade and the bit down to the beach from mum and dads house and then back from the beach and it goes nearly to 15. I love running around the island. It is home to mum and dad and I have lost count as to how many runs around it I have done. 

I opted for light train shoes today and was a bit of a regret. Pyfleet Channel in the 1.5 miles before the Strood was like the Somme. After this section, a full on 35 mile an hour wind in the face but enjoyed every minute of solitude. I didn't see a soul for the first 7 miles and then it was head down and into the wind and plenty of sand running for the last 4 miles. Love the island. Love going back. 

SDW run in a 60 mile an hour wind

 This was a bit of fun.....Drove down to the Tigers Inn at East Dean for a dawn run. Looked at the weather forecast and did not clock the wind. I saw it as 10mph. I missed it as FORCE10!! So we ran into a headwind that turned into a side wind of 60 ish MPH. Funny was not a word to describe it....being blown off the cliffs was our biggest concern.

and then we got pelted by stones that the wind had picked up and peppered us over the top of Seaford head. 

Lovely 21 mile run finished off with a pint at the Tigers Inn with the amazing Andy Eames

So I've not blogged in a while.........

Nearly 5 years ago I stopped blogging......Family, a recent house move and renovation and lots to do at work. 

So i need to get back into it and catch up.

I'm up to ultramarathon/marathon#114 right now. I've got a few things to update.

Race #114 - Gatliff Marathon - well this was crazy as Karl and I followed the GPX and we ended up running the whole course backwards as our brains were turned off after 2 miles. We had no CPs open for 19 miles so were knocking on doors for water. Finished in a respectable 17th after having to leave the course to find houses!

Race #113 - High Weald Challenge. Such a lovely race in the local area. Ran to the start. Loved the whole race, never looked at the instructions once and the .GPX was hardly looked at apart from the crazy bit across the Commons by Tunbridge Wells and Rusthall at the end. 28 miles of loveliness. Local boy and top ultra Runner Jamie Smith wins the race and little old me, 10 years his senior comes in a respectable 2nd place after putting in a shift between CP2/CP3 and the finish. 

Race #112 3FM 27.2 miles. A brutal race on the SDW with good old friend Robert Cameron Wood. Started sunny and warm and ended up cold, wet, slippy and horizontal rain into the face for the last 8 miles. 3450ft of hard slippy chalky climb but loved it as always. The crew at 3FM put on a superb race and never an expensive one. I am 15 years older than when I first blasted round this in 3.40 so now know that the front of the pack top 10 placing here (I think I came 7th that year) is now 'front of middle of the pack obscurity'!

Aside from that I've been doing all sorts of lovely challenges. Updates to follow