housework

today i have mostly been tidying up (after jane) and doing boring house things that don't get done when you've been away for the past few weekends. i've also been thinking about the rab. the results are up, 9/19 finishers. not quite as bad as i'd thought. but on both days there were checkpoints that i could and should have got but decided against. thinking that i'd be late back or lacking the will power to go back down into the valley to come all the way back up again. those 60 points would have made a big difference but i guess most people are saying the same with hindsight. next year....

a nice easy run with jane tonight. she's getting quicker. i'm going to have to start taking this training lark more seriously.

rab mountain marathon

or the race that bit me in the ass. what was i thinking? yeh, i've done a few mountain marathons, i can read a map, not too slow on the hills, all the gear but wait for it, no idea!! yes, that's right doing a mountain marathon solo is tough. really tough. i can't believe i was so blase about it.

i can cope with physical discomfort and even pain. my great 'talent' is being able to switch off my brain and just keep slowly podding on. only you can't switch off in this type of score event. constant calculations and re-calculations about time/distance/route/points need to be made. and if you're late back you lose and you can lose big. no slow plodding allowed and don't bite off more than you can chew.

many, many lessons learned and promises to self made. i know what i need to do. however, what's great about this hobby, is despite feeling a little embarrassed by my 'performance' i got to spend the weekend in stunning scenery, in a part of the country i've never visited, with great company and pushed myself harder than i have done in a long time. oh, and i saw my first ever cloud inversion. the blisters, cramp and screaming thighs are all worth it.

at least mountain rescue wasn't called out and i don't think i was last. for a much more descriptive and less navel gazing post, click to read vikki's race report. she was running with jane and therefore got to sleep with my girlfriend last night-just to make matters even more humiliating!

4.7kg

last weeks confidence boosting run was followed by a sunday of excess, work, a visiting dad, a bit more work and before i knew it i'd slipped into my usual 'super taper'.

this weekends fun is the rab mountain marathon. after last years event i had ideas that i might enter as a solo, but last year i had a lot of big running ideas...

anyway, solo it is. i've spent the day packing and repacking my bag. it's come in at an amazing 4.7kg (without water). due mainly to jane's new tent, which she has kindly lent me for the occasion. it's brilliant having a partner with a larger disposable income! so, the 'bag being too heavy' excuse won't wash. i'm not feeling in top running condition, being only 2 weeks into my return to 'proper training'. again i'm using this as a 'long run', all be it a slightly extreme one.

despite the nerves and overriding fear of failure, i'm really looking forward to the challenge. just me, a map and the big outdoors.

........however, i might just stick with jane and vikki, if they'll let me!

* photo is me trying to convince my dad that you can fit 2 adults in the new tent-he's still a disbeliever

rivington trail half marathon

the alarm goes off at 5.30, immediately jane states she's not had any sleep. from the look of her i believe it, there's also evidence of (last resort) benylin in the bathroom. i manage to persuade her to eat breakfast and sleep in the car.

a few hours later we're in rivington. at 9am i wake jane up and tell her it's an hour to the start of the race. the power nap, some gatorade and vikki arriving seem drag her into a more awake state.

jane's plan was to stick to a 10.5 minute mile pace. which given the undulating nature of the course would be tough. but like a machine she finished bang on schedule. her first ever half marathon. off road. 2 hours and 19 minutes. i'm dead proud. vikki wasn't far behind and i'm equally chuffed for her (but not in a weird patronising way!)

my plan was to treat it like my 'long run'. no racing but i wanted to finish strong and not totally wasted. scrapped in just under 2 hours. mission accomplished and another boost to my confidence.

also out running today was julbags. we've never met in person before. i decided to introduce myself as she's nearing the finish line. but despite this strange stalking behaviour she joined us, amy and ali, glyn and flipper for post race analysis at the pub.

the race was a great way to get a taste of an area i've never been to. a good course and good company made for a perfect start to the weekend.

**once back home it was a quick change and into town, fueled by kebabs and cocktails, to celebrate a friends' birthday. despite my recent 'liver training' i've had to leave early. sleep is calling...

work made me think

nearly finished my week of corporate induction. some bits have been less boring than others but today brought back some strong feelings. after lunch we had a session on 'care of the dying'. i'd forgotten quite how f**king angry i felt (and still feel) about the treatment my nan received....hopefully i can use this somehow, be more understanding, compassionate, or even caring for f**ks sake.

post work, my lovely coach made me put my trainers on and get out running. 5 miles later, less angry and no longer ruminating. we then went to sainsburys, played calorie top trumps, bulk bought jelly babies, lucozade, chocolate milk and an obscene amount of beef.

24

hi, my name's kate bauer, i work for the nhs. i'm about to have a really bad day-actually i'll stop with the '24' simile as it's a bit rubbish and doesn't really work, particularly as i've just had a pretty good day:

16:30 corporate induction training finishes. grab bike and rush home
16:50 inhale a tin of beans
16:53 change brake pads
17:20 swear and ask why, oh why, can't i do the simplest of bike tasks
17:30 jane arrives home and bears the brunt of 'mechanics'
17:35 pack ride-bivvy bag
18:15 realise that i'll have to use other bike (blackie). hope the route's not too hilly as it's 44:16
18:35 apologise and say good bye, 'cos i'm off on a 'skool nite adventure'
18:55 arrive with simon at chris' house
19:00 visit family bathroom. say hi to small children
19:05 and we're on the road
19:15 now we're on the canal. it's flat and straight, 44:16 is going well

19:45 encounter 'path closed' fencing. decide that we can climb round and over
20:15 still on the canal. it's very flat. it's very straight. in the dark still night it's hard to tell if we're actually moving
21:10 pub
21:40 second round ordered
22:10 leave pub with warnings of local panther!
22:15 encounter first 'proper' hill. walk
22:35 entering the woods, off road and riding
22:55 bivvy spot selected
23:00 jaffa cakes washed down with hot chocolate and whiskey
23:55 late night chatter fades and beds get made
00:30 get up for a wee

06:00 woken up by alarm 'emergency'-can't believe what a good nights sleep i've had
06:18 rollin' and enjoying last nights hill
06:55 enjoy the warmth of the morning sun
08:15 at chris' house. start to realise i might be late for work
08:38 home. wash. dress. banana.
08:54 get back on bike and head for work-it's all downhill
09:06 sneak into the back of the training room. 6mins late but unnoticed
16:30 another day of corporate induction completed
16:45 sat of the sofa with tea and chocolate. feeling a bit smug

2 cokes and a pickled egg

today i had my first (and last) pickled egg. it's strange what dehydration and the shock of september sun can do.

new shoes. the fear of a fast approaching trail race. blue skies. and the motivation of friends (real and virtual). led to a morning on the first half of the edale skyline.

easy chatting up ringing rodger. actual proper running along the edge. steady and comfortable up win hill. holding back on the down into the valley. slow and steady to the top of loose hill. thirsty, thirsty work. a gentle trot along to mam tor. a confidence boost that my running needed. and maybe just , maybe the start of real training...or just the start of a lovely weekend.

photo stolen from jumbly's flickr

and relax...

yes, the sun is shinning, it's a light blue cloudless sky and just a slight breeze. all this i can see from my bed! post kielder i was rota'd three consecutive 'long days'. 100 miles is nothing compared to those three shifts! i'm really enjoying work but it's going to be a while before i get used to the long hours again.

amazingly i've managed lose 5lbs of my 'office fat' without even noticing. which is all good and going to make my return to running a little easier. i've a half marathon in 10 days. i ran 3 miles on tuesday evening and it hurt. a lot.

gross self portrait-a small selection of the 68 bites i sustained from my midge assault at kielder. the astute may also notice yet another toe nail about to fall off. at least they don't itch anymore but i do look quite contagious in my running shorts!

kielder 100

the challenge was to pedal 100 off road miles. the start was early o'clock, just in time for the midges. i lined up with amy and ali, for some reason we were near the front. this would be the last time i saw either of them until the finish. we rolled out and were soon climbing. a gray drizzle didn't dampen the buzz of excitement and it was obvious that there were a lot of riders who were actually going to properly race this thing. i drifted to the back and hoped to hang on!

my hope was to survive, just riding from cut off to cut off. i knew, if left to my own devices i could make the distance but doing it in the time allotted is a different matter. no 2 hour pub stops and riding into the night. cunningly the organisers were being coy about the cut offs, just stating that there were 4 and were based on an 8mph average.

the trail fell into a familiar pattern of steady fire road climbs with screaming singletrack descents. dipping in and out of the forest as we weaved our way around. colours changing from charcoal skies to lush forests, where luminous green plankton floated on pools of dark water-every so often invading the trail.

there were large sections where i was riding alone. savoring the wilderness but also trapped in a cycle of mental torture- "you're not going fast enough", "you're out of your depth", "i wish i put more chamois cream on". at times i rode with others, their happy chatting keeping my personal niggles at bay.

40 miles in and i began to really enjoy myself. the body had realised it was going to be a long day and the voices in my head had got bored and shut up. it just felt right, every berm hit hard and fast, every climb disappearing beneath my wheels. i even began to catch some riders.

this period of perfection couldn't last and it came to a slow and painful end. i reached the final check point with 45 minutes to spare and 28ish miles to go. something changed in my brain, i knew i'd made it and suddenly to ability to push had gone. the three women i'd been yo-yoing with rode into the distance and i just settled into slow pootle.

BUT i bloody did it! i beat the broom wagon. it wasn't a pretty 13 hour journey. there was no style or finesse, just pure stubbornness and need for clean pants! the race that did exactly what it said on the tin; 1 lap, 1 rider, 1 adventure, 100 miles.

special mention to amy who came 3rd lady (and 1st singlespeed!), ali who entered on a whim 2 days ago, having never ridden more than 40 miles-she just missed the first cut off but still pedaled 60 miles. and of course the all of the front riders who actually raced, i am in awe! and rosemary, if you ever get to read this-thanks for great company on what felt like the longest 10km of my life, keep in touch. oh, and all of the marshals were fantastic-the most friendly and supportive of any event i've ever been to. and finally to sara, the evil genius who came up with the idea-thank you for a great ride.

why do i always

leave things to the last minute? no training done, bike not in full working order, bags not entirely packed and i'm sure that there's something else i'm meant to have done before tomorrow.

oh well....there's quite a big bike ride happening this weekend. it's the first of it's kind to be held in this country. 100 miles. off road. no laps. to say i'm a little nervous is an understatement.

august in numbers

i'm looking forward to the change of season. perhaps it's my fear of lycra shorts and tiny T's. i've enjoyed plenty of late evening rides and beer with the setting sun. but strangely i prefer the cold, being able to wrap up and face the elements. i'm longing for winter and snow capped hills. i feel ready to apply myself to the task in hand, work hard now and reap the rewards of winter fun.

the imbalance is obvious......
1 new job, so far so good.
5 hangovers
6 cakes baked, including a batch of 'freedom cakes' and giant birthday cookie
4 runs. 2 road and 2 fell
6 laps at sits = 1 great weekend
and more than my fair share of beautiful sun sets

cake of the month: jon's mums chocolate cake-lovely

september will be my return to running.