Wychavon Way Ultra

Race: Winter Wychavon Way Ultra Marathon (40m)
Time/Position: 7.14.28 (14th from 116)
A muddy traverse of Worcestershire, and a very nice way to notch up my 10th ultra marathon. It will be the last one for some time, I think, as I try to regain a bit of speed. It was doubly pleasing as an event, as I hadn't done any serious distance since the Fellsman last April. As a result, I was dependent on all the long mountain days last year along with the usual muscle memory. Peter and I stayed overnight in Evesham, and after a pleasant evening woke early for the drive to Broadway. I'd been to its immaculate Cotswold streets before, in the summer of 2014 en route to a family holiday in Cornwall. We got the bus all the way back to Droitwich, always a psychologically damaging part of an ultra as the drive is so long! We left a murky Droitwich at 8.30, carrying a slightly absurd amount of compulsory kit. It was muddy almost immediately, for a long canalside section leading to muddy (and flooded) fields around Goosehill Green. I am still too much of a traditionalist to download routes but this is increasingly an unfeasible approach now, as I discovered following the Wychavon Way markers through an overgrown section before finding fellow runners again for a long road section through Earls Common before miles of draining boggy fields led to the first CP at Flyford Flavell. This became the day's theme, very muddy throughout, on clay soil which my new Hokas picked up like a concrete pancake round the base of the foot. All rather draining. The next section was the same, numerous wet fields through to Church Lench along with the occasional millionaire's half-timbered period property. The route then turns west towards Wyre Piddle and the River Avon before running right through the centre of busy Pershore. Ahead loomed Bredon Hill, the day's crux, which took an age to actually arrive as the route twists and turns through little hamlets and Avonside paths. In fact, its steepish slopes (for this part of the world) provided a nice break, and the murky weather turned to light drizzle, quite cold, cresting the 'summit'. The views would have been extensive on a clear day, but the descent gave the best running of the day - drier and wonderfully undemanding, gently downhill more or less all the way to the third and final checkpoint at Sedgebarrow. I was tired, but generally pleasantly surprised to be able to keep a good plodding pace ticking over, similar to Brecon-Cardiff last February but with far less specific training. I had fallen in with Colin from Oxford, and we paced each other very well. It was obvious that we'd broken the back of it by now, and the run-in back east to Broadway was good, apart from a few rutted quagmires. We picked up three or four more places for a fairly respectable finish. A great day out, and an enjoyable journey through what for me is unfamiliar territory, always a key motivation.

Four Villages half marathon

Race: Four Villages half marathon
Time/Position: 1.22.10 (131 from 1700)
It has been almost four years since my last half marathon, although I have done at least 40 of them in total. I felt a conservative approach would be best today, given the length of that break. I did this race in 2006 and 2007 (contracting pneumonia after running in freezing fog with a cough), and then ran 1.18 on it in 2014. It's a great course, quite hilly in places but with a very fast downhill finish. I parked in Dunham and jogged to the start, I'd forgotten what a big event this is and really enjoyed the first few miles, working in groups, keeping it nice and steady. It was foggy and cold, perfect conditions, so perhaps I should have pressed on a little. Instead, I stayed conservative until the course emerges from the fog at its highpoint above Manley - after which I upped the pace towards the finish. Over four minutes down on my PB, but not too bad in the circumstances.

Dash in the Dark

Race: Dash in the Dark, race 3 (Llandegla)
Time/Position: 25.11 (4th from 147 [1st V40])
I seem to be making a habit of only doing the final 'dash' of the three race winter series. I've been doing them for years, and in the past I often managed to do all three, but various things prevented me this year. Great to get one in, though, and with a new course to enjoy. I'd been warned that it was very short (5.3k/170m), but didn't mind too much with several 5k blasts under my belt recently. It is very runnable now, with a long climb from the car park giving way to the usual twists and turns by the lakeside before the very steep descent through the woods, which has been retained. I had a good battle for 4th place, really enjoyable, but eventually the other chap faded and I ran the last 1km or so on my own.

Abergele 5m

Race: Abergele 5m (Border League race 4)
Time/Position: 29.28 (44th from 350)
A slight variant on the usual seaside course from Pensarn, in that there was no break through the caravan site. Instead, the race headed west into a stiff headwind before turning back for a long tailwind blast to the Pensarn car park, then a punishing final 1km into the full headwind at which point all the groups had broken up. So it was a tough finish, which cost 20-30 seconds on what would otherwise have been a reasonable time for me by recent standards. That said, I have run 28.00 on the 5 mile course here in the past, so there's still plenty of room for improvement.

Nant Peris loop

Peaks: Elidir Fawr, Y Garn
Area: Glyderau, Eryri
Blasts of wind shook the Vags hut all night, and prospects were grim this morning with the clag down and rain sweeping up the Pass in time-honoured fashion. Nothing unusual, however, so we (me, Peter, Steve) set off for the quarries after a convivial evening following the Fowler lecture in Capel. My idea was to avoid the full-frontal climb up Elidir by trotting past Twll Mawr then up the giant incline through the quarries to gain the open hill below Elidir Fach. The wind was howling up here, misty and wet. The final slog up Elidir Fawr wasn't too bad and we got to the summit in exactly an hour despite the circuitous route. From here, slippery and slow progress along the Pedol race route, skirting Foel Goch to gain the climb up Y Garn. A nice tailwind in places, although it was cold and wet in running gear, so we pelted off the summit down to Llyn y Cwn. We then took the excellent path slanting back to Nant Peris. If I've done this before, it must have been decades ago as I had no memory of it. Despite constant rain and mist, it was hugely enjoyable, runnable and grassy in places, scrambly and awkward in others. After following the banks of the stream, it drops down to the base of Nant Peris, and a roadside path leads back to the village and the hut. Dried out in Pete's Eats for lunch before the drive home.

North Wales XC championship

Race: North Wales XC Champs, Northop (10k)
Time/Position: 39.30 (17th from 54)
My worst ever position at the champs, and the first time I have failed to win anything in my age category. This was not entirely due to slowness, however, as the field seemed pretty strong. I can't remember ever racing the champs at Northop before, although I must have done the Rhug circuit five or six times. It was an excellent route, comparable to Rhug in the sense that it is pretty long for a cross-country, with four large looping laps of the college grounds - great views over the Dee estuary to the Wirral and Liverpool. Gary Norgrove and I had a grand old battle again, as we did at Aintree, level pegging until the last lap when I was able to pull away slightly. I didn't even count in the first six Buckley finishers, although I did for the Veterans: we narrowly won the team prize.