OMM Howgills

Peaks: Arant How, Breaks Head, West Fell, Green Bell, Wild Boar Fell, Swarth Fell

An ill-fated attempt at the OMM elite in perfect weather conditions. After my slowest 10k time for 5 years, I'd been feeling sluggish all week with a developing cold, but still wasn't fully prepared for quite how bad I felt within 30 minutes of starting day one. This was a serious problem, as the weather was good (although desperately cold, following a night of -3c spent in the back of Mick's car in Sedbergh), and Mick was fully prepared for the big two days in the hills. However, the scale of the Elite course is such that you need 100% fitness and commitment to have any chance of success. We contoured round a gap between two hills to pick up the second checkpoint at the top of the steep valley below Brant Fell. Superb views as the sun rose and lit the frosty northern slopes of the hills. I began to struggle immediately on the very steep climb west towards Arant How, although perked up for the run down to CP3 in a hidden re-entrant. Then came a massive 8k leg, for which I picked a decent route contouring the western valleys to pick up the big stream valley coming down from Breaks Head. We finally crested this at the obvious col SE of the summit, ending up in terrain familiar from the 2009 Rab. Good sunny running down the ridge, really good, led to more contouring and CP4, after which we ran up Langdale for another sadistic leg involving two huge climbs over West Fell to Bowderdale, then over another ridge to Weasdale before dibbing CP5 below the summit of Green Bell. I was now really suffering, and very unsure about what to do. A series of easy checkpoints lef across the road to leave the Howgills and enter the very different limestone terrain to the east. After finding a rather technical CP5, hidden in a small valley alongside many other valleys, we realised we were actually doing quite well. My route planning early on combined with Mick's excellent micro-navigation to land us bang-on every control with maximum efficiency. But I could not sort my legs and lungs out, as I felt myself enveloped by my cold. The boggy climb up Wild Boar Fell was a desperate struggle as a result. My feet had now had five hours of icing and were completely numb, which didn't help - neither did the fact that the checkpoint involved a scramble down the steep east slope from the summit followed by a trog through a Maritime Alps style boulder field to gain an obvious small lake. I felt like I was damaging myself now, and was also mindful of the fact that I'd be running for Wales in two weeks time, so called it a day on Swarth Fell. I was gutted for Mick, but he understood and had already realised that I wasn't myself. Having been let down by a partner retirement myself in 2007, however, I knew what it felt like. So we trudged back west to the overnight camp before embarking on the ultimate walk of shame, 12k or so back to the car at Sedbergh, ironically increasing our mileage for the day to well over 42k.

Caernarfon Border League

Race: Caernarfon 10k (Border League race 1) 
Time/Position: 36:40 (18th from 256 [4th V40])
A mystifying 40 seconds slower than the Welsh Championship race round the same course six weeks ago, which was itself my slowest 10k for three years. No excuses either, because unlike many of the other runners I didn't do the cross-country race at Colwyn Bay yesterday. Moreover, I've had a few formal intervals sessions in recent weeks, whereas I was just coming off a summer in the hills at the Championships: so it's all rather puzzling, almost 2.5 minutes slower than my best 10k time this year. I started off a little too fast today, perhaps, going through 5k in 17:26, unlike the Champs when was a lot more conservative. I pushed the first hill a bit today, and was in 11th place at this point. But I began to struggle at 6k, losing time and places - this got worse on the last climb at 8k and several runners charged past.

Llandegla biking

MTB Route: Llandegla Blue Circuit
Distance/Climb: 12k/200m
Finally managed to persuade M to have another go on his mountain bike this morning, although it turned in to a minor disaster just as we were enjoying the singletrack. The place was rammed, bafflingly so, and M struggled again on the long gentle climb. I had to push his bike on several occasions. A few whoops indicated he was enjoying the first downhill of the True Blue section, however - but after a few minutes I stopped to watch him on a steep berm. He didn't arrive, and I saw him 200m away with a completely wrecked rear derailleur - the same problem that affected his bike in May. This was a problem, as we were a long way from the car. The volume of riders made it quite dangerous to walk down the track, so I took M for a diversion down the fireroads from Shotton View, managing to find a few short cuts from past knowledge.

UK fell race relay championships

Race: Fell race relays, Shropshire (leg 3-navigation)
Time/Position: 1:13:34 (45th from 155)
Our first appearance in the relays since they came to Llangynhafal in 2008. This year, its Shropshire location meant it became feasible for our small club again and we managed to get six runners together initially. However, we lost two key men to injury last week, so we had to desperately cast around for replacements at the eleventh hour, just managing to gather six runners together on Friday evening. So a somewhat weaker team finally made the startline in Church Stretton, a delightful location on a delightful day: frosty, very clear, very sunny. Simon got us off to a good start, before John and Dawn put in a strong performance on the tough second leg - which echoed parts of the classic Long Mynd Valleys race that I last did three or four years ago. We'd just entered the 'holding pen' when they arrived, and it was time for Jeff and I to set off on the navigation leg. This replicates Mountain Marathon style navigation - in that it contains relatively long macro legs. However, the course was well set out and there were fewer crocodiles of runners, and more route choice, than I'd expected. We set off up a steep climb with a good path to the obvious col between Yearlet and Ashlet. I picked up a trod and we contoured SW to a very steep direct descent to the lovely steep-sided Ashes Hollow, which I remembered well from the Long Mynd Valleys race. Up this to the first checkpoint, gaining a few places, then I was surprised to see 20+ runners ploughing up the steep direct route to CP2. I resisted the urge to follow, opting for the northern continuation of the valley then striking NW up a tiny side valley in a direct line towards the checkpoint. Looking behind me, I saw that I was being followed by another 20+ runners! We crested the boggy plateau of Pole Bank/Long Mynd and had clearly made a decent decision as we were now ahead of several of the teams who'd gone direct. From the summit at Pole Bank, superb fast running along the Mynd to a well-hidden third checkpoint in the upper reaches of Carding Mill valley, before a steep climb up another spur led to more decision-making. I went direct to the south across awkward heather, with Jeff slowing slightly, and went a tad too far east before righting myself to pick up CP4 below Yearlet. The run-in was absolutely superb, taking an obvious exposed contour line along a narrow path poised above the valley before dibbing the fifth CP on top of the small hill above Devils Mouth. Fantastic running down to the finish, with wonderful clear, sunny views over to Caer Caradog and the Lawley - reminding me of the Skyline race and the Cardington Cracker which both take in these hills. Jeff struggled a tiny bit on the steepest descents and climbs, although in general he did really well considering this was all fairly new for him. The final run-in took in some lovely woodland before the steep and atmospheric final descent to the crowds at the finish. An excellent and enjoyable outing, with the team just about squeezing into the top half of the results.

Clwydian run

Rather tired this week after the Manx, but wanted to keep the mileage quite high in preparation for the OMM. The full Famau run last night, along with a longish run with John B on Wednesday and other shorter runs and rides meant I'd avoided a rest day since the Manx. I had some time spare this afternoon, so left Cadole for the Leat path then up to the bridleway before dropping down to Cilcain and following the Excalibur route over to the base of Moel Arthur: a repeat of the run I did last month. An extended route up the front, then down to OD and along to Dywyll. After Dywyll, I began to bonk slightly (having not had a proper lunch after covering an open day this morning), then the energy supplies really crashed below the top of Famau. Gentle jogging until I recovered to drop back down via a few extensions back to the Collie.