The Hebden - 22nd January 2011

I have had some solid winter training over the past couple of months but there's no substitute for a race to test how fit you are and The Hebden was the perfect start to 2011.  At 22 miles and 4000ish feet of vertical it's not too strenuous but is pretty much the distance I needed as a build up to imminent longer events.  Word has spread about the race and there were over 400 packed into the church hall before 8am on a frosty Saturday morning raring to go for a yomp around Calderdale.  After throwing some tea and toast down my neck we were off, out of Mytholmroyd and onto the first of many of the local trails and tracks.

I had no plan for the race other than to run a steady pace and hope that I found someone who knew the route for the last 2 checkpoints as I'd only recced up to CP4!  It was pretty social for the first 3/4 miles but there soon developed a pack of about 8 runners with a few familiar faces.  A couple, including fellow Saddleworth runner Chris Davies, disappeared into the distance after CP1 but I suspected we might catch them later. Over the next 6 miles or so there were a few different route choices but the remainder of the group all stayed within eyeshot.  I was trying out my old Platypus rather than my usual bottles and this helped me speed through checkpoints just grabbing food and gaining maybe a minute on the others.  Eventually, I found myself running with Ozzy Kershaw and Tim Whittaker from CP3 and we made good progress up towards Stoodley Pike before dropping down to CP4.  Ozzy had dropped off the pace and I was left with Tim who, like me, didn't know the route from here to the finish!  Our disorganisation was punished as we were caught by a couple of others including David Ralphs who I knew I knew from somewhere (Tim eventually worked out he had been on the UTMB with us last August).  From here on in it was one of those 'I feel good but can't up the pace too much as I'm not sure where I'm going' situations which was probably a good thing as it stopped me really pushing myself on what was supposed to be a 'warm-up' event.

We coasted into the finish together (see the picture of Tim, myself and David above) in a pretty decent 3hrs 31mins (contrary to the official timing which was a bit off) - a time which would have won last year but this year was nowhere near!  The winning time of 3'04" is spectacular, I've no idea how he managed that!  Chris Davies ran an excellent 3'19" and was down in 6th!  Anyway, my legs were feeling good the next day and I feel like there's plenty of race pace left for a good showing, hopefully at one of the next few races.  It's the High Peak Marathon and Hardmoors 55 next and with only 4 months until the BG but so far things feel like they are going quite well...

2010 round up & thoughts on 2011

I've been slack on the blogging front.  The thought of a 140 character Tweet is less hassle than writing something more lengthy, but it's about time I wrapped up 2010 and laid down some plans for the New Year.

After the UTMB it was nice just to get back into running.  To be honest, since August I've not really focused on racing and I've just spent time getting back to what t's all about - enjoying time on the fells and towards the end of the year, starting to build a winter base fitness ready for what I hope will be an epic 2011.  I did do one race, the Langdale Horseshoe (see pic above) in glorious weather on my 30th birthday.  Despite getting lost coming off Bowfell in the mist I ran a respectable 3hrs1min and it has certainly got me thinking about dropping a few more 'Lakeland Classics' into the calendar for next year.  They're shorter races, but the climbing is still severe and the atmosphere is quite different to the long stuff.  People are more likely to hang about to see you finish if they don't have to wait literally all day or more...

It's not been a good year for cancellations either.  After the OMM in 2008 I thought I'd seen it all but the UTMB certainly topped that for drama.  I wont start on that again, but the end of year was disrupted further when Tanky's Trog was cancelled and the Calderdale Way Relay too a week later due to snow!  We (Tim Whittaker, Colin Bishop and I) were out on the fells anyway and to be fair the conditions were fairly extreme.  Hauling yourself up the side of some of the Chew Valley edges, waist deep in snow is fairly arduous - Tanky's would have been epic!  I would have loved to run the inaugural Tour de Helvellyn last weekend but sadly I was otherwise engaged at a wedding - that one went ahead too!  Maybe I'm a curse...

Thoughts have now turned to 2011.  In terms of major goals I'm giving the UTMB a rest for a year, I'll be back in 2012 but I think I need to let the disappointment of this year fade and go back more focused at a later date.  The main aim for 2011 is a Bob Graham Round.  I've been mulling running a BG for years and I think this year seems like the right time.  I've chosen the same weekend at the Grand Union so as not to be tempted back there again!  All races until the end of May will probably have a 'BG preperation' slant but that's not to say I wont be thrashing myself as usual!  Currently pencilled in the diary is The Hebden (Jan), The High Peak Marathon - sub-11 this year hopefully, Hardmoors 55 (both March), Calderdale and The Highland Fling (both April) which will mean over 200 miles of competitive running before I embark on my trot around the Lake District!  After that there are no firm plans - maybe a bash at the LAMM or the OMM again, or possibly something totally random at home or even abroad, we'll see.

Until then it's Christmas on the fells in the snow, browsing the internet for new gear, maintain my new winter gym class routine with the wife (!) and maybe taking up Bikram Yoga at some place in Manchester!  And of course there's always AM Mayhem...

UTMB 2010

The UTMB was a disaster in the end!  Anne and I arrived on the Monday and in the days leading up to it we were soaking up the atmosphere and really enjoying our time in Chamonix.  The weather was fantastic and initially it wasn't forecasted to be too bad during the race.  Tim Whittaker, Charlie Johnson and I were planning to run together and when it became clear, on the Thursday, that there was going to be heavy rain we thought it was great news as none of us really enjoy the sun!  Anyway, the weather on the day was pretty awful - heavy rain and wind - although by the time we arrived in town for the bag drop before the start it had cleared up (although the clouds were ominous).  

The start was fantastic but as we ran along the road towards Les Houches the rain started again and was heavy.  The climb up from Les Houches over to St Gervais was wet although we we were in our element, passing loads of runners and feeling great in the soggy conditions - it was like being at home!  Anyway, we reached St Gervais in about 3'30" and having filled up our bottles and stuffed some salami down our necks we looked for the exit from the aid station.  I thought it was always this busy but Tim suspected something was fishy and eventually some French guy translated that the race had been cancelled!  We were all gutted - there were stories of landslides further up the course although I'm still not sure if this was true.  Anyway, having calmed Charlie down (he was ready to smack someone) we ended up being ferried onto a train and then coach back to Chamonix at around 1am on Saturday morning.  Tim and Charlie decided they were going for a run anyway the next day but I wasn't interested in leaving Anne, whilst on holiday, for a 'friendly run', so I declined and went to bed.  At 8:30am ish I was woken up by a text from Tim saying they'd set off for their run and some guy had said they were restarting a reduced race from Courmayeur - had I heard and could I get there?  At this point I found a text from the organisers sent overnight (about 2am I think) in garbled French/English that I think (it certainly wasn't clear) that there WAS a restart of a reduced race and there was 1000 places available (for any of the 2300 UTMB runners and 1200 TDS) on coaches from Chamonix at 6:30am.  I was already 2hrs late, still in bed (soaking kit in a pile in the hotel room) - there was no chance.  Plus, did I really want to do a 'less than half UTMB' , especially after all the disappointment of the night before?  I was gutted, even more so now that this other race had been organised whilst I slept.  Had I have known that it was going to happen when the race was originally cancelled I'd have probably done it but the way it panned out I wasn't really left with a choice.

As a result the whole thing was soured.  We took an early flight back on the Sunday (we'd planned to leave on the Tuesday) as neither Anne nor I wanted to hang about.  I'd spent months training, a load of cash on the holiday/race entry etc and I wanted to forget it ever happened!  There is still no word on whether there will be any preferential entry into the 2011 race (I suspect not) so I'll just have to take my chances in the lottery (assuming they give me points for the GUCR which I have enquired about).  I've calmed down now but for a week or so but I still have several issues with the organisers; were we not capable of running in rough conditions (I've certainly experienced worse condition on the fells at home), why in such a big race wasn't there an alternative route to the affected sections, why bother starting the race when the forecast was for exactly what happened and trying to organise a race in the middle of the night via text for 3600 people is lunacy.  Ultimately though, I respect the decision to cancel the race on safety grounds, I'm not even bothered about compensation, but to not be offered the chance to complete the race in 2011 seems unfair.  Hopefully I'll be there to complete what seems to be an amazing race unlike any other...

Follow me @ UTMB 2010

We're off to France next week for a week relaxing and sunning ourselves on the south coast before we drive up to Chamonix in preparation for the Ultra Tour du Mont-Blanc.  The race is a complete tour of the Mont-Blanc Massif mountain range through the French, Italian and Swiss Alps, starting and finishing at Chamonix.  The distance is a mere 166km (103 miles) with about 32,000feet of ascent/decent.  There are over 2000 competitors from all over the world and the race starts at 6pm CET on Friday 27th August.  The winner will be done in 21hours ish but I expect to take around 35hours which will make it about 5am on Sunday morning by the time I'm finished.  If you want to follow me, the UTMB website (http://www.ultratrailmb.com) has live tracking of all competitors - just search for my name (or number, I'm wearing bib 2623) - where you can monitor my progress as I pass through each control.  I'm aiming to Tweet en-route with maybe the occasional TwitPic, if you don't follow me on Twitter (@TeamWebb) the tweets and pictures should appear on the right hand side of this blog.  I've got a feeling that the frequency of my tweeting will drop off as the race goes on and as I descend into an exhaustion-induced stupor!  Anyway, I'm due to start tapering my training this weekend so I can stop doing hill reps up Alphin Pike and start eating everything in sight - one of the nice by-products of running ultras!  Toodlepip...

Osmotherley Phoenix

2010 is the third year on the trot I've run the Osmotherley Phoenix.  It's a fantastic race through the North York Moors and this year I persuaded my Dad and sister Clare's other half, Rich, to join me and run the 17 mile route.  I was on the 33 miler and was hoping to improve on two previous distinctly average runs here.  I'd been training on the hills for a few weeks - pacing leg 1 of Craig Stansfield and Mick Flatley's Bob Graham, some big days out in the Dark Peak and regular weeknight runs on the Saddleworth Moors - so I was in reasonable nick.

The race started in perfect conditions but I was concerned about the possibility of suffering in the heat later.  The first few miles are along the Cleveland Way and the rolling trail proved a good warm up and an opportunity to catch up with people.  Despite a brief gaff with navigation I was going pretty well through to Carlton Bank where the shorter route runners split.  Grabbing some water and a flapjack I opted for the 'fast' route round the bank rather than over the top via the trig point.  I was running with Ian Leach who I'd run with before and we made relatively easy progress all the way to the top of Round Hill.  I struggled for pace on the climbs but outpaced Ian on the flats and downhills and at the 'turnaround' I felt in excellent shape to run under 6 hours.

The long track and then road down into Chop Gate car park took quite a bit out of my legs and the next few miles were tough.  The sun never came out for too long but I still needed a couple of salt tablets washed down to keep fully hydrated.  The navigation on this section is tricky and we seemed to pick off quite a few people with good route choice and eventually arrived at Hawnby way ahead of schedule.  From this point on the route is simple to navigate but far from simple to run.  The 3 mile uphill is gruelling and at the top I welcomed the chance to top off the water bottles and take a few moments to sort myself out.  Ian's 6'5" legs helped him take off at this point as we upped to the pace into the finish.  I kept it going well and was greeted with the 'Osmotherley 2 miles' sign pleasingly early!  Passing a few other runners on the network of paths into the village I rolled in in 36th place in 5hrs 46mins - over half an hour of my previous best and feeling I'd run well within myself.

 

A pint and some chips and I sat with Dad and Rich to enjoy the festivities in the village.  Another good day out - I'll be back in 2011 to run under 5hrs 30mins...

Wharmton Dash

Just a fortnight after the GUCR my next race was a 2 mile 'dash' up Wharmton Hill in Saddleworth.  It's a race organised by Saddleworth Runners, but the reason I was there was to help introduce several kids from school into the world of fell running.  Every Tuesday and Thursday morning at 7:15am I run a hill rep session with staff and pupils from Blue Coat on Oldham Edge.  It originated as training session I did with a friend and colleague, Swallow, but we decided to invite some kids along.  Bizarrely, it seemed to catch on with a select few and ever since a hardcore (and a few others...) have braved all conditions at the crack of dawn to, amongst other things; run up and down hills, do sprints, drag tyres and do Tabata.

Our aim was to get the kids enjoying running and what better way to inspire them than the get them all running in a local fell race!  A few kids run track athletics and cross country at school but none do any fell running.  In the end I got 7 kids and one other teacher to come along and take part in what turned out to be a tough 2 miles!  We set off from Churchill Playing Fields in Uppermill in the middle of the Saddleworth Show.  The first hundred metres or so are a fast run out to the road before skipping up some steps and into the severe climb up to the Wharmton mast!  Aaron Platt, one of the AM Mayhem-ers, was leading the pack at the start (!) and I had visions of him romping home 1st but he, like me struggled on the climb.  My legs were still feeling the 145 miles and by the top I was back in 5th place and feeling shattered!  The run straight back down didn't help and I barely stayed on my feet down some slippery steps before hitting the road again.  At this point the route takes you back along the canal and then down to the river where you plough straight through!  The highlight of the race, it took me somewhat by surprise when I was submerged up to my chest at one point!

The AM Mayhem lot loved it behind me (as did the crowd who cheered as each runner plunged into the water!) and it's pretty much all they've talked about since.  I finished a reasonable 5th considering the distance and the proximity to the GUCR...hopefully we'll all be back next year.  In the meantime, I'm on the hunt for the next race to take 'Team Mayhem' to...

Grand Union Canal Race 2010

After last year’s failed attempt to complete this 145 mile epic from Birmingham to London I was forced to rethink my strategy. Last year I had been forced to withdraw after 121 miles at Springwell Lock - not too far from the end, which prompted many people to ask, “why didn’t you just grit it out and finish?” The problem was my shin. Each step after about 100 miles was getting increasingly painful and although in the context of the race it seemed ‘nearly done’, I still had nearly a marathon to do. My conclusion from last year was that I’d created the shin problem as a result of my decision to walk a large stretch of the overnight section. I was running with a couple of veterans of the race and guys who’d completed the even tougher 150 Spartathalon and both suggested that walking the night section would leave me refreshed for the next day. But having not trained for walking, several hours of it proved enough for my anterior tibialis to rebel and inflame, reducing me to a rather feeble hobble and eventually to the rank of DNF.


So, a year later and I felt in fantastic shape fitness-wise as I hunkered down in my hotel room in Birmingham the night before. However, with the race playing over in my mind I couldn’t get any sleep (despite taking some herbal sleeping remedy) – not ideal when you know you’re going to be running for the next 2 days non-stop! At 5am, knackered, I trudged over to Gas Street Basin, the venue for the start of the race in a bit of mood. I registered and knocked back some GatoSport cake before taking my position at the start. Organiser Dick Kearn said a few things (inspirational stuff I’m sure but I can’t remember a word of it!) and we were off. I headed the pack down the first section of the canal and found myself in the company of the reigning champion Pat Robbins and many-time winner John Kinder (also winner of last years insane Thames Ring 250). Chatting to the two of them revealed they were attempting to break 24-hours for the race and there was a definite air of competition between them. Ironically, running alongside these two we took a wrong turn just a mile in and had to re-route to pick up the main trunk of the canal that headed out of the city through the industrial surrounds and into the heart of Warwickshire. I let Pat and John go although they were, like me, on a 25/5 minute run/walk strategy – the difference was that they were likely to keep it up for 24hrs and I was looking at more like 6 hours before switching.


The grimy industry of Birmingham quickly gave way to open farmland and the race really felt like it had begun as I reached the first checkpoint at 10 miles just short of Catherine de-Barnes bridge. I was 20mins head (the plan was 5mph) but I knew I’d erode that in future food/rest stops. The aim with this race is to delay fatigue for a long as possible. I knew after 6hours I may be able to still run 25/5s but it would start to take something out of me, I wanted to get as far as possible just cruising. If I was out of breath, I was going too fast. I picked up a companion in copper Lee Chamberline at 18miles or so who told me about his recent world record for 7-days on a treadmill and his planned attempt at the JOGLE (John O’Groats – Lands End) record for September – sounds like your average GUCR competitor then! I knocked out the first half-marathon in 2hrs 30mins and arrived at Hatton Locks (22.5 miles) ready for some food. I necked quite a bit of a cooked breakfast (I take nutrition seriously!) before setting off at a leisurely pace to digest it. I passed the marathon point after 5hours ish and was feeling pretty good. The only problem was the rain had set in and it was more than just drizzle by this point. In fact, it would start to rain heavily from this point on for about 6 hours which was really tough for both me and the crew who were desperately trying to dry my kit on the car heater, brew up under bridges and stand over me with umbrellas when I stopped making me feel like some kind of Pharoe! All I needed were some bikini-clad dancers with fans...


The rain eventually stopped and I had switched from the 25/5 strategy to a 10/5 strategy. This proved an inspired move, allowing me to keep up my 5mph by knocking out the 10 minute runs quite quickly. I think I actually kept this up for the next 20 hours, with occasional 5/5 breaks. I was running with Chris Conway at this point who was great company but eventually Chris needed to slow so I cracked on, maintaining a constant pace. I passed through the lovely Braunston and over the Braunston Tunnel (a rare diversion off the towpath) until I eventually reached Weedon (53.1 miles) feeling the best I’d felt all race. I had a sit and some food and felt pretty chuffed I’d managed 2 marathons without too much effort and little aching to show for it in my legs. The wheels were bound to come off at some point and I hit my first low approaching the Gayton Junction checkpoint (60.6miles) where the sun had set and the endless rain bagan to take its toll as I got really cold. Fortunately my crew were on hand with hot chocolate and layers of dry clothes and I was quickly ushered on my way. I think the crew suspected I was starting to tire a bit and brother-in-law Wilson met me (not a checkpoint) as I climbed the hill onto the road section whilst the canal makes its way through the Blisworth tunnel. He shouted some abuse to the effect of “stop slacking and get a move on” and I chugged over towards Stoke Bruerne. There’s a downhill section for about 600 yards before you rejoin the canal along some cracking singletrack and it seemed to inspire me as I breezed through the Stoke Bruerne checkpoint, missing the crew! My mind was on Navigation Bridge at this point – the half-way point (almost) and the point at which I can pick up buddy-runners. Apart from the odd stint with another runner, I’d been listening to my ipod for hours and even the possibility of running with someone I knew seemed pretty appealing! I arrived at Navigation Bridge to a warm round of applause at about 9:15pm – 45mins behind schedule but in one piece and ready for the night. I downed some pasta, donned some clean kit and a headtorch and headed out of the checkpoint in 32nd place.


My quads were feeling a bit mashed but otherwise my legs were okay, the main problem with the night section is staying focussed and keeping awake and alert. The fact that you’re outside amplifies your bodies senses and mine had sensed that it was time to sleep! Not having slept since Thursday night wasn’t helping but a couple of Pro-Plus and some chat with Wilson kept me on my game. The 10/5 pace was good but as I left Wilson at Water Eaton (84.5 miles) I could sense that I was getting really fatigued and I needed to really dig in. Fortunately, our friends Sarah and Ben had joined us – pretty impressive really considering by this point it was 1:15am and they live in Oxford! Anyway, having arrived at the checkpoint an hour early to witness one runner collapse as he arrived they were happy to see me trot in in relatively good form. Sarah strapped on the rucksack and we set off, it was really nice to have someone to chat to who hadn’t been a part of the last 19hours.

The pace wasn’t great but I felt that the miles were rolling by without too much effort. We passed Leighton Buzzard Tesco and arrived at Slapton Lock (94.2miles) at 4:25am – by now I’d abandoned the schedule and was just ‘feeling’ my pace to the finish. I’d got to the point where the Pro-Plus had worn off and I was really knackered though and poor old Ben really drew the short straw as I could barely muster any conversation. He did regale me with the story of his preparation to break the 4-minute mile though – I’ll be sure to post congratulations on this blog when he does it! My vision was getting a bit dodgy here too. I was running behind Ben and when I tried to focus on his feet as they moved they just blurred into one and I’m not entirely sure that I didn’t fall asleep whilst running! The sun had risen (Ben and I shared that particular romantic moment in exhausted silence!) and I was granted mercy at Tring where there was a bed (well, a ground sheet) and I had 30mins nap. I’m sure my wife Anne was having a laugh because she seemed to wake me up about 10 seconds later but apparently it had been 30mins...gutted! Sarah massaged my aching quads (I need to suggest Anne takes a course in massage!) and I was off again with Ben for his final leg. I really perked up at this point but it took the whole 3.9miles to Berkhamsted to get my legs moving faster! Ben and Sarah left to get some kip and Dad joined me here for his stint. He’d come in for some stick last year as he joined me overnight when I was suffering with injury and I might have made some ‘choice’ remarks to him. Anyway, I felt I owed him a good run and we reverted to 10/5s and made really good ground all the way to West Watford (115 miles) with Dad’s motivational chat inspiring me to really pick up some speed. My sister Clare joined me here and a brief detour to a toilet in a used-car dealership (there was nowhere else!) was the only incident as we breezed along towards the scene of last year’s drop-out point, Springwell Lock (121 miles). The sun was really hot now and when I set off I was struggling to control my temperature, sweating really heavily and having to drink loads and take a couple of salt tablets to keep me hydrated. I’d been munching food happily over the race so far but I was starting to lose my appetite – not a good sign with 24 miles left. I pushed on and met up with my final buddy runner, Rich at Wide Water Lock (123 miles). This was the point where I felt the worst in the entire race – my legs were completely shot but because I hadn’t eaten enough I was exhausted (the 30hrs running and no sleep for 2 nights had nothing to do with it!). I forced down some crisps, sweets and some biscuits and we departed the checkpoint a sorry pair.


Rich then suggested I lie on my back and he’d stretch out my hamstrings and calves – this worked wonders! We were soon up and moving and suddenly the thought that I had less than a marathon to go made me realise it was all nearly over! We knocked out consistently steady (and I mean steady) miles arriving at Hambrough Tavern on the outskirts of the centre of London at 5:30pm in hot sun. The crew saw immediately how ‘up’ we were and food and drinks were troughed and we were on our way again, knowing that the next time we saw the crew it would be at Little Venice. An annoying detour through Southall extended the race by 1mile but soon we were back on the canal and chatting to a couple of drunk Irishmen who were insisting that the only way I’d finish is if I had some of their lager! I declined. Maybe I should have taken them up on their offer though as the last few miles went on for ages! Every turn we expected to see the finish sign. We went past Wembley, Paddington Station, we could see the London Eye...we even asked people walking/running on the canal where Little Venice was – “just a mile or so” was always the answer! Eventually, after what seemed like an eternity the ‘Compton Harriers Running Club: FINISH’ sign came into view and suddenly I was running. I crossed the finish line in 39hours 18mins feeling amazing despite the ordeal and the heavyweight medal round my neck was fitting for such an epic event. The winner, Pat Robbins, didn’t manage to break 24hours, instead coming in in just over 26 hours – still unbelievable. I managed a respectable 24th position and given that over half the competitors dropped out I wasn’t complaining.


Thanks to all of those who helped organise the race (particularly Dick, pictured with me below), it’s a fantastic event. Now onto the UTMB...