Tea & Cake

3 wainwrights, 2 ridges, 1 cheese & onion pastie

2012-02-01T11:50:00.002Z

the trouble with getting what you wish for is, it often leaves you hungry for more. after saturdays local snow show i needed something extra. something steeper, something higher, something with a little bit of added excitement. something like a winter ridge, an elevated crest running from peak to peak. wainwright describes striding edge as a "succession of jagged fangs ending in a black tower", with a sprinkling of the white stuff this was exactly what i was yearning for.

a late night preceded the early start but reaching helvellyn's plateau catching the last of the sunrise was worth it. supping a brew and contemplating swirral edge while the thick cloud in the distance squashed the sun into a dirty orange streak across the horizon. i wish all days could start like this. spikes on, probably a bit over cautious but suddenly i felt very alone. slowly i made my way down helvellyn's northern arm. pausing every few steps to take in the view and take in a deep breath.

the cold air was still and the heavy silence punctuated only by steel scraping on rock. looking around i couldn't believe that just 5 hours ago i was tucked up in bed. this was the stuff my dreams are made of.

circling red tarn the full bulky mass of helvellyn comes into view. this is certainly its best side and like all good things it takes a little more effort to get. this might be the reason i love winter so much, views and hill tops are hard earned but the gains are immeasurably greater. everything looks more beautiful in the snow. everything.

counting striding edge's jagged fangs i knew what was coming. the final rocky tower is negotiated down a steep little chimney gully. a little more exposed than i remember from our summer outing but over all too quickly. just a short bank of ice to gain the top once more. lunch was had in white out conditions. the day just kept getting better and better.

a short stroll with map and compass in hand over to dollywaggon got me warm again. the snow was deep enough to run/slide straight down to grisedale tarn. another brew stop, another view stop. savouring the snow before the final descent back to the car, a cheese and onion pastie and a tired drive home.

winter teaser

2012-01-28T14:55:00.002Z

i went in search of snow. i wasn't disappointed.

keeping on the edge, no point dipping into the valley, no view, no white stuff. just two toffees in my pocket, no map, no watch. feeling free, just myself and thoughts to follow. it was blimin' lovely out but would have been even better to share the miles.

*not about hills but if you're interested in the welfare reform bill this is worth a look

trench foot

2012-01-23T12:21:00.001Z

we ventured out on sunday for what started as a run and ended in a recovery walk. yes, it was still 'quite' windy.

but we might have found the perfect mountain marathon training ground. there's a large piece of access land that's covered in small tussocky bogs, where the trods are few and far between, all just a 10minute drive from home. feeling lucky and excited that with a couple of road miles we can probably link up some footpaths and bridleways to get there. having dry feet may become very rare indeed!

calderdale ldwa- the hebden

2012-01-22T11:46:00.002Z

a team building/cake eating exercise for marathon-schmarathon#2

22 miles
4000 ft ascent
6 food stops (checkpoints)
2 coconut slices
a handful of jelly sweets
1 peanut butter cookie
some malt loaf
a cheese sandwich
a piece of stollen
numerous cups of squash
and in the community centre at the finish; a bowl of veggie stew with as much tea as you like and a glass of mulled wine. followed by apple crumble and custard, in proper bowls with waitress service!

...bleaklow...hpm reccy

2012-01-14T22:23:00.002Z

minus 5 in the car with the sun still rising. a warming jog up onto the edge with hoar frosted grass crunching under foot. finally, a proper winter's day. perfect for the bogs of bleaklow. the racing lines still not quite found but we weren't far off. shattering of thick peat ice as i take myself and teammate into the dank mire of hydrogen sulfide, with bruises to prove it. counting the stakes and climbing the groughs, jelly sweets were hard earned today. more of the same please.

strathpuffer 24

2012-01-12T13:05:00.002Z

i'd already been driving for 2hrs before the sun started to rise. this is my favourite time day, anything is possible and when the colours are right it makes me feel invincible. passing the snow dusted fells of the lake district, with the dark orange sun creeping up into the sky, it was a glorious morning. was this a sign, it felt like a sign and what with my usual 'race preparation' i needed something. feeling just as under prepared and under trained as usual, i decided to take comfort in this familiarity. i made a promise to myself. this year strathpuffer would not beat me, i would ride until the end. i would ride until the sun came up. i knew i wouldn't be fast or even smooth over the technical ground but i would keep going.

having spent my hotel budget on ice spikers i was camping on site this year. as it turned out the snow and ice also had other plans. this year the air was moist and warm, the course rocky and muddy, no excuses. i was woken on the saturday morning by the adventure show, they want to get the perspective of solo racers and asked the question i'd been dreading, "how do you train for an event like this?". after much laughter i headed to the start line.

the first fire road climb went for as long as i remembered, the rock section just as tricky, the singletrack just as twisty, the mud, well this was a first but not nearly as bad as it looked. and the views, the views were beautiful. you'll have to take my word for it, as in the interest of 'pushing on' and not making excuses i left my camera in the tent. keep on spinning, keep on moving.

still taken from this ace little video

and so it went on, slow grinding lap after slow grinding lap. but i was enjoying myself, i was riding my bike, the company of fellow riders was great and the marshals ever cheerier. lap 6 was ridden by the light of the moon. it was stunning, nearly the best lap of the whole ride. then it was time for lights. again, i just pottered on in my own little world. aware that i'd been lapped by both the men's and the women's solos but it really didn't matter. another tea cake and a sip of coke and some more up hill grinding.

things got a little harder during the night but it's the same for everyone and it's that sense of camaraderie that gets you through. that and the fact that the light charging guys let me stand by their heater whilst i ate cold pizza. back on the course and back to chatting with anyone willing to slow their pace for a while. this is the unique thing about 'puffer you get all sorts and everyone has a story for their reason to ride in circles for 24hrs. from the proper racing snakes to folks riding in wellies.

by 6am i was really flagging. an extended pit stop nearly ended it all but i remembered my promise and climbed back on my bike. i kept thinking, 'just one more lap'. i managed to trick myself into doing another 3. by 9am the sun was up but too cloudy for anything magical. just one more lap. and this was the best one. back to riding the rocks after my loss of confidence during the night, views of snow dusted hills, everyone was smiling. i'd bloody done it, i'd kept going. 17 laps and i could finally stop and sit down and not worry about having to get back up.

and to top it off i'd managed to ride into 2nd*. totally unaware that jo had been asleep for a few hours and was now chasing me down. she finished just 4mins behind, i'm glad i didn't know!! i can't recommend this race enough, the course is great and the atmosphere is fantastic. well worth the drive.

oh, and happy new year folks!!

*out of 3 women but sounds better than 16/50 overall.

pass the brandy

2011-12-19T10:30:00.000Z

final piece of skool work handed in today. barring alien abduction i should pass year1 of nurse skool, wont find out until the end of january though. i guess that kinda makes me a third of a nurse...anyway, time to start thinking about christmas! as usual i have yet to buy any presents, but i have made some mince pies. jane has excelled herself again with her cake decorations. penguins were so 2009, this year it's all about the 'nativity owls'!

merry christmas fellow bloggers! hope there's hills and snow for everyone, if not at least a few slices of cake.

wish you were here...

2011-12-17T19:10:00.000Z

i'd like to dedicate this fine john shuttleworth number to the other half of team marathon-schmarathon#2, who were stuck the other side of the hill today.

our choice was simple, a character building jog over bleaklow in whiteout conditions or a beautiful run along the edge. we chose to weave between the snow dusted grit stone boulders. you know it's been a good run when you have to add a little bit on the end, just for extra snow time. more pictures taken than miles trod but i think it might have been the most fun-est run of the year. a totally unexpected smile-a-thon, just a shame we didn't get to share it with everyone. days like today make you remember those early mornings pavement pounding are all worth it. happy running everyone.

soggy blog jog

2011-12-11T18:27:00.002Z

isn't running just brilliant?!

surely alarm bells would sound if you'd arranged to meet two blokes off the internet for a run around the moors. but no-one was murdered, even when the 'navigator' got a little 'confused'. it's soggy jogs like this that make me feel all warm and cosy. i'm reminded of how lucky i am, able to do these hobbies of mine and meet some lovely like minded folk along the way.

despite the wind and the rain and the lack of snow (and sprightliness on my part) a few hours in the white peak was the perfect start to a sunday morning. so, thank you steve and simon for coming out to play.

it's that time again

2011-12-04T15:00:00.002Z

still talking in hushed tones, entry is yet to be announced but we've gathered a team together. yes, it's time to start thinking about bleaklow again. team marathon-schamrathon#2 had its first hpm reccy run out yesterday.

due to injury and house moves we've 2 new members, so started with the 'easy' bit. the first 3 ups and the long drag of a road section. a few showers gusted over us, stunning breaks in the cloud with bright green light spots highlighting the fields. hopefully a good introduction to the 42miler.....

*knee seems to be healing, it's just the downs that niggle a bit.

whatta week

2011-11-21T18:59:00.000Z

it all started with an agency shift on a mystery ward and end up with me puking on my own shoes, whilst trying to source breakfast in london. these things were not at all related by the way and the later was very much self inflicted. in between, i had a birthday and celebrated with a lovely jog along the edge, some indoor bouldering and a huge slice of cake. another shift, another ward, this one had a bone densitometer. several winter sun bicycle commutes. some lectures about the importance of inter-professional communication, we were given the wrong time and room on our timetables.... we saw a musical about judy garland, grayson perry's exhibition and stewart lee stand up, not all on the same evening though. meals in and meals out, mexican street food and a chocolate ganache hangover. too much booze and too much food and not enough sleep. fantastic.

a preemptive christmas detox started today.

that knee again

2011-11-13T10:04:00.002Z

old lefty has started playing up again. jane has also been suffering with knee niggle, the omm has a lot to answer for. but we both managed a pain free 2miler this morning, followed by half an hour of stretching. i'm now back in bed and continuing to nurse a slight hangover. normal service has resumed.

last shift sunrise

2011-11-07T19:48:00.004Z

finished my placement yesterday all signed off and passed. i have to say it was actually quite emotional leaving. i suppose it has a lot to do with the type of work that goes on in rehabilitation wards. often providing the most intimate of care whilst having a laugh and a joke, and watching patients gain in their independence. it's been the most rewarding job i've ever had.

dear mr lansley, if the nhs still exists by the time i qualify i really wouldn't mind a job in nursing.

original mountain marathon: perthshire

2011-11-01T18:53:00.003Z

i have a love/hate relationship with the omm. there's a subtle undertone of masochism about it. held the last weekend in october the weather is very likely to be wet and wild, the clocks go back gifting you an extra hour in a small damp tent and the size of the event means there are long muddy queues for everything*. the fact that this year's base camp was stationed at an old prisoner of war camp only added to atmosphere. with this in mind fast forward to saturday early afternoon or death march as i like to call it.

grim faced, head down, rain finding its way in between the layers, almost every step is at least ankle deep in cold boggy water. i am struggling to find anything enjoyable about the experience. jane is doing a brilliant job at navigating, visibility is as low as my morale. apparently we're in the hills of perthshire, we could have been anywhere. anywhere that's cold and wet and soggy under foot. it wasn't until i started chatting to another team that i realised quite how grumpy i was feeling. they were both smiles and laughter. it was their first mountain marathon. they'll learn**.

strangely we didn't seem to be climbing much, or descending much for that matter. just monotonous grassy knolls with the odd waist high burn crossing and bog extraction to keep things interesting. did i mention it was raining and the water cold? i began to worry about having enough food, jane began to worry about reaching the mid camp before dark. we both silently began to worry about actually finishing the bloody thing. not quite survival mode but it was jelly babies every fifteen minutes. a real effort made to see the funny side.

eventually we made it to the mid camp. pitching up in the gloaming, some 7 and half hours after setting off. at this point jane got cold. very cold. unable to stop shivering. two sleeping bags and many, many hot drinks later hypothermia is staved off. we settle down to an evening of david sedaris and rehydrated noodles. it's still raining by the way. every time i leave the tent i'm unable to remember which tiny green shape is ours. wandering around in the dark calling jane's name, waiting for her to signal me towards my bed. the third time this happened i could hear other folk laughing at me. i would have been laughing too, except i was wearing jane's only dry piece of clothing and it was getting wet. a late night toilet trip reveals that somehow we've made it into the chasing start, being less than 1.5hrs behind the lead female team. ours spirits are lifted but it may have been the whisky. exhausted and physically drained sleep came easily.

woken by bagpipes at dawn, feeling almost refreshed but concerned about what we were going to wear. everything was still sodden but it had actually stopped raining. after much faff we made it to the start. just. my turn to navigate, fortunately the cloud was low rather than down. no cockups, a few big ups and a few craggy views snatched. day2 was shaping up to be a real mountain marathon of a day.

i think it started to rain again, it was certainly a little windy. routes to check points were now 2 person wide sloppy trods. half an hour wouldn't go by without one of us falling over. concepts of dry and upright were being altered, the boundaries of pleasure being pushed. another 7 hour + day on the hill, did we bite off more than we can chew? i'm not sure. scores on the doors, 60/96, out of 120 odd starters and 5th female team in b class. over recovery peri-peri chicken jane was already talking of 'next year'. personally i think she is confusing a sense of satisfaction with a sense of fun!***

*considering the number of teams involved the organisation is impressive.
** sadly they retired after day1. i recon they'll be back!
*** jane has proof read this for me, her first comment "but it makes it sound like you didn't enjoy it"!!!! exactly. but i loved the nandos in sterling.

me, enjoying my hobby.

omm prep.

2011-10-27T22:44:00.003+01:00

there's been a few kit changes since the rab. lemoncello has been substituted with whisky, the cryptic crossword swapped for the quick. we've decided to take an ipod loaded with david sedaris short stories and old desert island discs. could be a lovely relaxing weekend. also, i've been trialing a new training regime that involves no running what so ever.

numb toes

2011-10-15T16:27:00.002+01:00

once on the ledge josh made it look easy. once i got on the ledge i made it look very difficult indeed. teetering 20ft* above the very small and thin looking bouldering mats, my right leg jittering about, i cursed the fact that i'd not been climbing in over a year and had therefore lost all bottle. talked and helped down by james and the others, slightly embarrassed but eager for more. such a shame that the alpkit 'big shakeout' bouldering session was only for the morning, i was just getting used to the numb toes and scraped fingers.

right, i'm off to source a bouldering mat and a spotter, my local playground just got bigger. looks like even more fun is going to be had at the 'shakeout' over the weekend, go check it out!

*may have been 4ft

i.am.a.plonker.

2011-10-10T13:05:00.001+01:00

serves me right for all the 'new commuter' teasing. to cut a short story even shorter, i 'won' a bike from ebay. dreams of steel fixed commuting have been crushed due to inadvertently spending £53 on a child's bike. it is lovely though and i'm unsure what to do now.

i could still go down the fixed route but i really wanted a bike with 700cc wheels. i doubt there'll be much advantage over my current commuter. so, today's plea, does anyone have an old steel frame/bike suitable for singlespeed/fixed, rack and mudguard mounts going cheap or willing to swap for a similar yet smaller bike?!!

*essay completed with 5hrs to spare and another lovely sunrise witnessed on friday morning.

procrastination with honors...

2011-10-05T12:31:00.000+01:00

it's that time. again. essay deadline is friday. just about to start working nights, finish saturday morning. so far i have baked the worlds flattest banana cake, gone through the sky+ box and deleted all the old 'simpsons' episodes....any good ideas regarding current hot topics for public health/social policy welcome. there is a quiet panic in the air. at least half of my commute will be in daylight for a change.

*collecting new bike on saturday.

some day a rain will come....

2011-10-02T20:50:00.001+01:00

it's just me and the taxi drivers sharing the road at the moment. late nights and early mornings. sharing the sunrises and racing (but mainly missing) the sunsets. the pre dawn drivers seem to cruise zen like between junctions. the post pub, pre club drivers are much more jittery. swapping lanes, accelerating between light changes, a seemingly pointless rush.

leaving extra time for easy spinning in the morning, i know i'll be looking east watching the colours melting into one another. the balmy mornings hanging on to the mist, riding through pockets of cool. some evenings i remember to actually pedal, pushing hard on the hills and even harder on the downs. legs whirling outta control. past the balti houses, beer gardens and isolated industrial estates. the retail parks become home to the mopeds and boy racers. everyone has a hobby. home to crumpets and chocolate milk, ready to repeat.

*i've just 'won' a new commuter. watch this space

rab mountain marathon: snowdonia

2011-09-26T15:04:00.000+01:00

ruth passed around the lemoncello, whilst jane sat *trying* to do the cryptic crossword (next time we're taking the 'quick' one) and the rest of us lounged about in the sun. it was hard to think that just a few hours previously we'd been battling wind and rain and deathly slippery boulder fields in the search of fiendishly hidden checkpoints.

after last years mistakes jane and i had come prepared with a plan, we'd even discussed tactics beforehand. jane would navigate on day1 and we'd stick to a strict 4km per hour rule when planning our route. which i know sounds incredibly slow but it would stop us biting off more than we could chew so to speak! the significant difference between this mountain marathon and the others we normally do is that you choose your own route, trying to pick up as many checkpoints within the allotted time as possible. leaving many more opportunities for on hill 'discussions' and 'interesting' line choices.

day1 started with waterproofs and clag. occasionally the wind would clear a view of seascapes or craggy mountain ridges. despite the weather we seemed to be picking up the checkpoints without too much struggle. we had a great ridge run, which always pleases me, even though we couldn't see a thing. getting to our designated half way point, everything was going smoothly but the weather was seeming to get worse. we decided to miss a checkpoint out for fear of running out of time. eventually we arrived at the mid camp with just over 30minutes to spare. we didn't care, at least we hadn't lost any points! and all of a sudden the sun was shining and to top it off we discovered that cat and ruth had inadvertently camped next to team ibuprofen. all was well with the world.

half way route analysis over re hydrated noodles commenced. i love this aspect of mountain marathons, chatting with other folk and seeing their routes, getting tips for the following day and realising that you could've/should've gone for that extra cp.

i woke with a full blown cold on sunday morning, which was reason enough to (bottle out) let jane continue with the navigation. a 42minute slog, straight up the side of hill is a fine way to start any day. clear skies and fierce winds would dominate the days run. again we stuck with our plan and had no navigational issues, jane was on top form. i was starting to struggle a bit but it was hard to tell if it was the normal day2 blues or if i was actually starting to feel poorly. 3hrs in, a few gels stomached and i could confirm that i was ill and not just being a bit rubbish. we cut our route slightly shorter, due to my snotty nose and wheezing lungs.

but it was great to be in a position where we felt in control of the situation. we always knew where we were and were making good judgments about time and distance. jane convinced me to go for one final cp, "it's practically on the way to the finish".... one final up. we finished with our best ever result in a score event, 83/292 overall and 7/34 female . dead chuffed.

and what better way to finish the best mountain marathon in north wales than with the best chippy tea in north wales. enoch's at llandudno junction in case you're passing.

drop bags in the kitchen

2011-09-20T10:28:00.006+01:00

due to changing to 'long days' this week (7am-9pm)* i've had to prepare some of my meals in advance. tomorrow night when i get home, i'll have less than 7hours before i have to get up and go back to work again. it's a bit like planning for a 24hr race. so that's wednesdays lunch and dinner already packed, thursdays lunch and dinner in the fridge. bulgar wheat salad and veggie chili, in case you're wondering. i've also had to pack for this weekends mountain marathon. which means, saturdays lunch and dinner, and sundays breakfast, lunch and dinner are all neatly sealed and stored away. suffice to say, i've eaten far too many jelly babies today and haven't actually got anything ready for tonight's tea.

*it's ok, only have to do 3 a week.

blimin' brilliant

2011-09-18T08:13:00.000+01:00

the colours on the hills are fantastic at the moment. the lush bright ferns, almost tower over me now. fluorescent green fields and rich purple heather, mark the highs and the lows. chocolaty peat and charcoal grit line the tops. all highlighted and super animated when the sky turns from blue to gray in an instant. waterproofs that flap wildly in the wind, need to be discarded just as quickly as they were put on.

a few extra jelly babies and an extra layer in your bag. be prepared for anything, but most of all get out there. it's blimin' brilliant right now.

placement.2

2011-09-15T20:02:00.004+01:00

i started my second placement on monday. so far, 4 shifts in, and i'm really enjoying it. distinct to anywhere i've worked before, with a very different approach to nursing. i feel like there's so much to learn and only 8weeks to try and cram as much into my brain as possible.

the only downside is the early starts and the shock of going back to work after a few months of being a student. my commute is slightly longer, which has meant a lot less running but the sunrises are getting more and more worth the 5am starts.

by tomorrow afternoon i'll have cycled 150miles, for a job where i don't get paid! did i mention the sunrises?

ben nevis tri

2011-09-06T17:09:00.002+01:00

in my imaginary life as a well organised, highly motivated and general all round athlete,* i'd be heading up to this race on friday. thankfully the race organisers have allowed me to pass over my entry for next year. which gives me a total of 12months to not train for it. however, if you're interested and like blogs about 'stupid' races rosemary and elizabeth both are going. they're both very, very tough. good luck guys!!

*i'd also be an academic overachiever, speak several languages, play the guitar and trumpet and be able to maintain a working bicycle.

muted

2011-09-04T20:50:00.000+01:00

muted colours and muted tones. purple runs into orange, and orange into greens. subtle changes and subtle gains. not much to say except, a lovely quiet run out to end an easy week.

the hours

2011-09-02T14:48:00.002+01:00

in august i spent 20:55hrs pedaling, 21:15hrs running and only 15hrs trying to write an essay. 85% of that skool work was done in the past 36hrs. the deadline, today of course. never again. i am making a public promise to myself (not about the biking or running-shhhhh, remember). there's leaving things to the last minute and literally pulling it out of your arse. next big deadline is october 7th, feel free to remind me! in the mean time, boooooze. have a good weekend ya'll!

ssssshhhhh.....

2011-08-30T07:59:00.000+01:00

another long run done and filed away. 16miles of totally new white peak trails. a figure of eight through chatsworth, rolling hills and just a slight drizzle.

i'm starting to notice small changes. breathing is getting easier, legs becoming lumpier and my belly less wobbly. i've started wearing my 'thin' jeans and am really beginning to enjoy the hills again. i don't want to mention the 't' word, every time i do something happens. either i break myself, get lost in haze of booze for a few weeks or lose all motivation. lets just say that jane has been following a self penned programme for the past seven weeks. i've just happened to join her on her runs.

typed too soon

2011-08-26T16:38:00.000+01:00

soggy....

is it raining? i hadn't noticed

2011-08-24T17:58:00.002+01:00

ok, ok, i know! i've made my bike ugly. BUT since fitting (the ill-fitting) mudguards i've cycled over 100 miles. 100 dry as a bone miles....

we did it again

2011-08-19T23:30:00.000+01:00

did our 'long' run today. it was meant to be 15miles and 3 and a half big ups. it was nearer 18 and a short scramble. hotter than we thought and over an hour longer than we planned. we only had a small bottle of lucozade each and a few jelly babies. yet again we have managed to break ourselves whilst still being very near our house.

home to left over paella, which didn't even touch the sides.

....to make up for the lack of recent cake shots, here's a snap of jane's birthday cake, fresh from the oven. had a bit of a disaster with the sponge and had to cut the burned edges off....hoping that the hundreds 'n' thousands will disguise this...

omm training

2011-08-16T08:59:00.005+01:00

early morning runs are getting darker, switching from footpaths to pavements. but the bursting sunrises more than make up for the gloom and the dreaded 5.30 alarm. slipping easily into to the routine of the weekend big run. slowly getting a little bit longer, a little bit hillier, whilst our post run feasts become even more elaborate.

gonna keep on runnin

2011-08-07T22:41:00.004+01:00

another good run, to top off another good weekend of pottering about the house doing a spot of diy....apart from the incident yesterday afternoon where i removed our neighbours car bumper with the hire van...

unpacked

2011-08-03T12:59:00.007+01:00

house moved. tin'ternet now connected (skool productivity now down). in between packing/unpacking there's been some baking, running and biking...well at least cake eating, jogging and commuting. hope ya'll in blog-land have been enjoying the sun, looking forward to catching up on tales 'n trials.

in other non hill news i've also recently purchased two life changing pieces of kit:
1. telescopic duster. i do not know how i have lived so long without this
2. a cylinder mower. grass cutting has never been so fun, the faster you mow the better the noise
i've even been making some cushion covers. domestic bliss...

charlie ramsay round- a support view

2011-07-05T23:30:00.003+01:00

last weekend saw 5* completions of the charlie ramsay round. yes, that's right 5! i was lucky enough to be up there supporting simon on his second leg. just the two of us running into the sunset. it was a lovely still evening, with only three munros, a river crossing and a soggy 10km trail run stuck on the end. i think i was enjoying it more than simon at the time. he'd had a particularly hot run over ben nevis and the grey corries that had left him slightly down on schedule. we consistently made time on the ups but lost it on the downs. as we reached the second support stop simon was talking of a 24.30 schedule.

at 2am i left simon in the capable hands/legs of gareth and they headed up to the mamores whilst i headed back to the campsite. thankfully some of the other runners support had waited for me, otherwise it would have been a lonely 4m trudge back. everything about this round is on a larger scale and asks more of everyone involved. i'm eternally grateful to the other support crews for their help and conversation, especially on that walk.

back at the camp site, grab a few hours sleep, then back to glen nevis to see the first of the runners come in. i'd had a text from gareth about 8am stating that simon was now 40min down. no one was expecting him to come in anytime soon. despite this ant and tracy had gone up to find a way through the forest and pace simon home.

by this point jon and brian (who'd set off with simon on saturday morning) had arrived back, absolutely delighted with their own efforts. fantastic runs from them both made even more special by the appearance of charlie ramsey. then all of a sudden ant comes stroming down the road yelling, "he's gonna make it...". right on cue jess (jon's daughter) begins playing the bagpipes. simon comes into view.....blimin' fantastic! he'd made nearly 20mins on the final up and down!!!

there may have been some tears and we lost gareth for a bit-but that's another story. it was a fantastic weekend in the hills, great to meet some new folk who i'm sure i'll bump into again and some seriously impressive running from 5 men in particular. it's also worth stating that simon, jon and brian have now completed all three rounds**. i'm keeping my fingers crossed that simon's next plans include some winter attempts...

*two local guys who we'd passed and been passed by also finished that weekend
**my account of simon's paddy buckley and some photos from his bob graham

***also, jane had a brilliant saunders with jenn. they were in kirk fell, only 42 teams actually finished, it was a tough course!

kinder splashing

2011-06-26T22:00:00.004+01:00

gentle climbing and feet splashing, snaking up the snake path. up on to kinder, thankful for the breeze. a bit of grit stone hopping, peat sinking, grough hunting and compass bearing running. views into edale before a sharp left and back across the plateau. along the quiet edge, rounded stones and sandy streams. the brightest bracken lined decent follows the short rocky drop.

a quick scrub down in the river, then decamp to the pub. feeling like we won this weekend.

being grown up

2011-06-22T10:40:00.009+01:00

boy, that was a long 10wks but my first placement is over. i'm going to continue with the self imposed super injunction regarding the matter, but lets just say i'm glad to be going back to skool. had my first exam yesterday. i 'only' need 40% to pass. i'm pretty sure i've got 38/100 so unless i'm the unluckiest moron in the world i should be able to scrape a pass......

in other 'non-hill' news we've finally got a date for moving. Tminus two weeks and we'll be home owners! i can't wait to finally feel settled again, stop living out of boxes and actually having decor that we've chosen. life of constant diy and arguments in ikea await. this kinda significant moment has had me doing a bit of re-evaluating recently, certain goals have changed and races rescheduled.

the most important thing is passing this course. i wish i was one of those overachieving types but the reality is, if i want to do something well i have to concentrate on just one thing at a time. that means no crazy triathlon this year. i've got two essays that need to be handed in that week and then two days later start my second placement. without the pressure of the race i'm predicting some kinda melt down the first week of september!

***edit- i managed to break my blog yesterday. i would seem that trying to edit htlm without any previous experience is quite difficult!! some changes are intentional, others i can't workout how to undo. oh well!

lowe alpine mountain marathon: beinn dearg

2011-06-14T16:50:00.013+01:00

..or a second chance to redeem myself with the hills around ullapool.

in the interest of saving weight we've got a very light tent. for light, you can also substitute the word small, very small. we'd been sheltering from the mid camp rain for nearly 4 hours. i'd started to sketch out a draughts board on a piece of foil, jane had suggested using the ibuprofen as pieces. we'd already exhausted i-spy and decided against a game of 'consequences' due to lack of artistic ability. cooking in these cramped conditions is interesting to say the least. being on the short side, i can at least sit up. amusingly for me jane can't, therefore making eating/changing clothes a constant source of entertainment for me.

when the noise of water on nylon began to ease, we seized the opportunity to stretch our legs. it's amazing how your perception of what actually constitutes rain changes when you've been in a cramped tent for a few hours. walking through the moist air we went to check the half way results. we'd moved up a class since our last lamm together, so were happy to see we'd made 58/107 (5/12 female).

but this doesn't tell the whole story. what those numbers can't show are the smiles on our faces as we jogged and slogged our way though the hills. rain free, blue sky, jagged peak bliss. despite me over shooting the first check point, there were no strops. despite the lack big miles in our legs there were no tears. it was one of those days when things were just right, even when they weren't.

day 2 followed with more of the same. it's difficult to explain just why these events are so good. yes, it's a test of mind and body but there's something more. neither of us can quite put our finger on it, and we had a lot of time to think about it! you get to visit the most remote parts of the country, travel across the landscape taking the most perverse of routes and all the time knowing that it's just you and your partner. relying on each other, with all you need on your backs. i'm sure i've said all that before but there really is something special about feeling so self sufficient amongst such giant hills.

we managed to gain a few spots on day2, taking us to 54th in c class and if you don't count the female vet. team who beat us by four seconds (they're registered as 'non-competitive'-so i'm going to take that!) then we moved up to 3rd female team (but still, way, way, way off the leaders). as always thoughts turn to 'what if...' well, if we do get an entry for this years omm, then this weekend as pretty much been perfect training.

please help

2011-06-13T20:00:00.003+01:00

******sorted, thanks******
are you able to give up some of your spare time to help a lonely mountain marathoner?

her little bag is already packed but due to her partner having a bad case of giffer knee, jane is looking for a new partner for this years saunders. with your help and support she could escape the dull 9 to 5 of normal life for one weekend. she has an entry for kirk fell, is aiming for middle of the pack, is a competent navigator, walks the ups and jogs the downs. her tent is small, so top and tail only!! further references can be sought from vikki and jo.

please, don't hesitate to get in touch. you could make a real difference.

ticking over...

2011-06-06T09:33:00.002+01:00

doing what i say i'm going to do- catch up

2011-05-16T07:46:00.002+01:00

erm... well...erm...
wk4- 60 lakeland fell miles, 1.5hrs pool swimming, 15 very, very cold minutes of reservoir paddling. all in all a lovely holiday, and then everything went to pot!

wk5- a shock to my system as my first (nurse) placement started, new hours, new routine. being friendly and interested is blimin' tiring! just 30minutes of pool time with the highlander mountain marathon at the end of the week.

wk6- the highlander really took it out of me. jane managed to get back to running this week but i just felt exhausted, there were plans of doing the fling but in reality it was an impossibility. no excerise happened this week but i did get very, very drunk....

wk7- my hang over lasted a long time...the only outdoor fun was *that* bivvy.

wk8- still feeling broken and tired, no running or cycling all week. but i did get very, very drunk at the weekend...

wk9- suddenly i see a pattern emerging! i resolve not to break myself this weekend, whether it's by booze or miles. 30miles of cycling, 9miles of trail running but more importantly, no booze!

so, that's my "training" up to date. yet again i've made exactly the same mistakes as i always do, too much, too soon.......

(apologies)

anyway, things are starting in earnest again BUT i'm taking it really slowly. just because i know i can ride 100miles or stay on my feet for 12hrs doesn't mean i have to. it just means i'm very, very stubborn and will end up broken. just because those little san miguel stubbies are on offer and slip down easily doesn't mean i have to have a six pack ready and waiting. the theme for the next 5wks is going to be little and often (not the booze obviously), taking me up to the end of my placement, then it'll be time for the big stuff.

the bivvy that broke us

2011-05-06T10:10:00.011+01:00

a cautionary tale of how a little jaunt out can turn into a mini epic, something that you don't expect when adventuring so close to home. linking up the edges, running from the white peak into the dark, with plans of a bivvy somewhere on kinder and returning home by lunch time the next day. just 24hrs on the hill, with at least one tea stop, what could go wrong.

fast and grippy, curbar was the perfect start to the day. a quick scramble up before weaving between boulders and leaping from stone mushrooms. following the almost perfect line north, ticking off the edges as we go- froggatt, white, burbage, stanage, derwent. we could run like this forever.

knowing that fairholmes and the chance of refreshments was near we guzzled our water. at this point we began to realise that the wind had been doing a good job of disguising the sun. we sat for an hour amongst the bank holiday masses, just drinking and rubbing the salt from our faces. apart from checking that it wasn't going to rain, i hadn't payed much attention to the weather forecast. it was certainly warmer and windier than i'd expected or planned for.

as the families headed home we headed back to the hills, now carrying an extra bottle of water each. up and over to kinder in search of the perfect sleeping spot. our list of requirements; soft ground with space for two and lovely sunset vista. making a beeline for madwomen's stones, which sounded like the perfect bivvy spot, the wind really started to pick up. but as we were to discover there is no place to hide on kinder when the wind is gusting. we decided to push on and tour the northern side of the plateau, hoping for shelter and water from the brooks.

we scampered between the rounded rock piles, hoping each time that we were about to find the perfect bedroom. after an hour a sudden realisation, we were running over kinder and our feet were DRY!! heading for what we thought would be a thirst quenching streaming the wind became a constant blast. a further revelation, maybe the south edge would be more sheltered.

taking the short crossing, following a dried stream bed with taunting pools of stagnant water, but it was nice to be out of the wind. compass out as the head high groughs snaked left and right. as if by magic we popped out with a view of edale below. reversing the skyline route we continued our search for the perfect bedroom. our requirements modified-just something out of the wind.

at last we found a spot. brewing up with our now significantly reduced water supply, we settled down for a night of star gazing. our plan for the following morning to drop into hope for breakfast and pick up supplies. as expected the sunset was worth the trek. we lay in our bags dozing and watching the big dipper move across the sky. but there was an elephant in the (bed)room... our spot was less than perfect, chosen when tired and hungry it was actually not very flat, not very soft and not very sheltered. by half past three there was talk of packing up and getting warm. half past four and we were heading for ringing rodger.

a sleep deprived head torch run is actually a lovely start to the day and gets you warm pretty quickly. down to one bottle of water each and a handful of tangfastics we realised that no cafe or shop was going to open at this hour. plan changed. the most direct route home involved a lot of road, a lot of navigation though fields but the possibility of a shop. for some reason we decided to head back via the edges. we knew the way and didn't have to concentrate, we'd be home in no time. obviously we were tired and confused!!

we trotted on, watching the sky turn from inky black, to salmon pink, then finally crystal blue. by the time the sun had come up we were on stanage, slightly hysterical and rationing the last of the jellied sweets. we had the place to ourselves and were strangely enjoying it. everything was hurting but everything was hilarious too. all our hopes were pinned on the longshaw estate and their tea room.

fantasies of flowing mugs of tea and bacon butties kept us going. of course we were too early for that too. we were now less than 5miles from the car but it felt unimaginable that we'd actually reach it. our water bottles empty and we were now down to the emergency 'food'. i dug out the half packet of dextrose tablets that had been in the bottom of my bag for the last few mountain marathons. never did i imagine that we'd be using them so close to home.

we began to see families and couples obviously starting their walks and early morning joggers. everybody seemed so normal and everything began to feel very surreal. we giggled our way back to the car. never have we been so pleased of a tepid bottle of water found on the back seat. as i drove the short distance home, jane commented "...we've got a strange hobby haven't we..."

the stats:
24hrs, 45miles, not enough sleep, not enough food, no where near enough water, a sun burnt neck, 2 very, very dehydrated ladies and a tale that has kept us laughing all week.

highlander mountain marathon: dundonnell

2011-04-22T18:46:00.004+01:00

mountain marathons as a weekend mini break are fast becoming a tradition in our house. and like all traditions certain rituals have developed, new playlist made, salty car snacks purchased, driver changes arranged around favourite cafes, even hotels booked and the inevitable guessing of the final location of the actual race....turns out it was dundonnell, an hours bus ride ,around the massive loch broom, from registration in ullapool...which then just left us guessing how on earth would we ever get back. we'd have to wait for two days of hill running to find out.

the wild and remote hills induced a stunned silence, which was soon broken by miserable grunts as both my achilles seized up. cold, damp feet shuffling as best they could, watching others disappear into the distance. on the plus side the first two check points were collected without incident. confidence growing, i began to feel a little stronger, jane looked less concerned about my gait, we started to jog. and proceeded to run straight passed cp3...about 30minutes lost and a massive blow to my now fragile mind. within the first two hours i was already emotionally spent.

photo from rightplacerighttime

everything seemed wrong. my bag felt like it was full of rocks, legs stiff and heavy, my shoes appeared to have lost all grip, brain turned gloopy and i admit it, i may have become a little, well, mardy. despite this, jane pushed us on, intermittently shoveling jelly babies into my mouth. the rest of the day was a slippery blur. circling an teallech, part of me wishing to be scrambling/bottom shuffling along its spiky peaks, the rest of me glad we didn't have to tackle to final steep scree slopes.

reaching mid camp the afternoon sun began to shine, moods lifted and our noodle dinner was enjoyed with a fine mountain view. this helped ease the 28/32 day 1 result, as did a lovely pint of black isle beer and some ceilidh observing. crawling into our tiny down stuffed tent we both hoped that tomorrow would be a better day.

with notices warning that all competitors must be at the finish by 2pm at the latest, the pressure was on. no mistakes, no mardyness, all to be completed within 6.5hrs, not a lot to ask....rounding the other side of the 'big hill', there was less distance to cover but the check points were fiendishly laid out. steep ups followed even steeper downs. fingers constantly grabbing at the hillside, feet feeling for solid ledges. re-entrant after re-entrant found, no massive errors but still wondering if we were moving fast enough.

with 3cp's to go we realised we'd make it. helped along by the mini race we were having with another team. reaching the final down the last piece of the puzzle was solved, they'd be 'speed' boating us back to ullapool! post match analysis whilst paddling in the sea loch, confirmed that it's all in the mind. with the aid of positive thinking we finished in 19th place on day2, dragging ourselves up to 22nd overall.

for what ever reason my head and body weren't really in the right frame of mind for mountain marathoning but the jagged peaks of an teallech were more than enough to rejuvenate my soul. time for some proper recovery and working out how to control my head.

fell time

2011-04-09T23:20:00.005+01:00

feeling so tired, yet so utterly relaxed. a holiday of extremes with aching limbs to prove it. long, slow plateau walks with the in-laws, whilst staying in the luxury of a 18th century cottage-complete with log fire and cooking range. the weather, wet and very, very windy. we tagged two extra days on the end. one night at the yha in glenridding meant four classic ridges clambered and sun burn to our surprised skin.

i feel an ode to the lakes coming on...

doing what i say i'm going to do wk3

2011-04-04T10:33:00.002+01:00

175miles ridden, 1hr of swimming and a tough speed session at run club...plus 13miles of fell fun.

home2holiday ride

2011-04-02T22:19:00.000+01:00

it was the kind of ride that makes me feel like anything's possible. i've ridden further and i've certainly spent longer in the saddle but there was something special about yesterday. like most good journeys it started as the sun was rising and finished well into the dark. i spent the day in my head, legs spinning without a thought. there was some weather but it didn't stop the wheels turning. i just enjoyed the simplicity of pedaling. pedaling far enough to see the landscape change. the roads getting quieter and the hills growing bigger. for that day it was total freedom. it was a glimpse of what's possible....

chesterfield, derbyshire - bampton, cumbria
135miles,9937ft, just over 13hrs, 2 punctures
wet and windy, with the occasional lucky tailwind

a new outfit

2011-03-31T17:58:00.000+01:00

we're off to the lakes tomorrow for a week of hill fun. there's been little voice in my head whispering, 'it's not actually that far, you could cycle there....'. that same voice is also responsible for a recent purchase. i'm now the proud owner of a triathlon specific wetsuit-i know, i didn't realise there was a difference either! according to various tri forums it's still too cold for open water swimming but they also advise that you should start with sprint distance before working up to longer courses. fear not though, it's not all about heart rate zones, brick sessions and tri bars , i'm packing my fells shoes too. right, time to print off those google map directions.

doing what i say i'm going to do wk2

2011-03-27T23:29:00.000+01:00

it's been a pretty surreal week. 70m on skinny tyres, 20m on fat, 11m of road running, 7m on the trail and an hour swimming. coupled with my first assignment being handed in (2 days early!!), our offer being excepted on a house and a little protest. exhausting and exciting. feeling very tired and very lucky at the same time.

march for the alternative

2011-03-26T21:33:00.007Z

over 500, 000 folk took to the streets of london (even more showing solidarity on-line) to protest again the public sector cuts. there are real alternatives and we need to fight for those who's voices wont be heard. it's not just about protecting pensions and saving jobs. it's the most vulnerable of this 'big society' that are going to be affected. they're the ones i'm shouting for. a day of laughter and hope.

more info here and here.

**********morning after edit*****

why is pretty much all of the reporting (yes, bbc!) about "riots and violence". why are the issues not being discussed. there are alternatives, robin hood tax, creating low carbon jobs, stopping funding trident, chasing down tax evaders.-these are just a few. these cuts make no economic sense, it's just political ideology. an ideology that is eventually going to cost lives. i went to bed on a massive and have just woken up depressed. ...maybe i should just go for a run.

non-commuting

2011-03-23T15:25:00.004Z

it's been 67 days since i rode on fat tyres. today the counter was reset. the trails are bone rattlin' dry and the sky a constant blue. not sure how long it will last but hopefully i wont leave it so long next time.

doing what i say i'm going to do wk1

2011-03-20T00:08:00.000Z

it's too soon to use the 't' word but it's been a good week. 100m pedaled, a couple of short road runs, a lovely sunset trail run and an hours worth of swimming. what i need is five more of these then i can start operation ridiculous tri.

high peak marathon

2011-03-06T12:50:00.002Z

i woke at 2.30 this morning, reached down the side of the bed, found the pizza box. had another slice and passed the rest to jane. this was followed by an ibuprofen chaser. within half an hour we were both fast asleep again. the result of friday's all nighter....42 miles of dark peak shuffling.

it's a difficult event to comprehend, even for those who run on the hills. yes, it's a long way. yes, it's in the dark but there's so much more. this year jo was our navigator and the other half of 'team marathon schmarathon' were vikki and jane- hpm virgins. this is for me, is what makes this type of race special, the journey the whole team take and i don't mean our route around bleaklow. it's the hilarious sleep deprived conversations, the two person bog extractions, the hourly force feeding, the chirpy windswept marshals, the sense that whatever happens your mates will look after you.

jo was blimin' brilliant with her compass skills. we certainly weren't one of the fast teams but we certainly took some of the best lines. considering it was either pitch black or dank clag, amazing stuff. it was a real privilege to watch both vikki and jane overcome bad patches, grit their teeth and push on. for the record neither of them has ever run a traditional marathon.

conditions under foot were tough, have i mentioned the bog... there were no inspiring vistas, no warming sun. just good friends, weak tea and an excellent spread at both road crossings. so, if you can find 3 other like minded friends the high peak marathon is one the best friday nights you can have without your dancing shoes.

...just a little bit of politics...

2011-02-17T16:48:00.005Z

great news about the forests! that's the first successful petition i have ever signed. probably also says a lot more about the demographic who organised and spoke out. i doubt those most affected by the welfare cuts will be heard with such sincerity.

to be honest i've been feeling more than a little jaded with regards to politics in recent years. pretty much every demonstration i have ever been on has had little to no effect. do you remember when... further education was free...when over 100,000 folks took to london town in protest of the invasion of iraq...hmmm. and what with the current state of affairs you do begin to wonder why you bothered voting in the first place. but that's the point, i've earned the right to complain!

lets ride this wave of people power. join the national demonstration against cuts. march 26th, victoria embankment, london town.

that is all.

still here...

2011-02-16T22:29:00.002Z

as an old boss of mine used to say, 'i haven't got time to shit' at the moment. despite being warned numerous times by numerous people, i'm still shocked at how 'full time' nurse skool is. but i'm still enjoying it and haven't missed a lecture yet - this is uncharted territory!

in between pedaling back 'n forth to skool, i've been doing the odd spot of swimming and even managed some (very) short road runs. if would appear that 6months off running has cured my knee..... now is probably as good a time as any to announce this years race that's going to kick my ass ..... the ben nevis triathlon. but it's ok, it's not til september, plenty of time......

bike art

2011-02-03T19:43:00.004Z

jane calls it my 'installation'. she's titled it 'hot aches and near misses'. it's a traveling exhibition and can be installed in any home for the small fee of a slice of cake and a cup of tea.

hpm reccy-the difficult bit

2011-01-29T22:00:00.000Z

the lunar landscape of bleaklow is best served chilled, with a dash of compass work and a sprinkling of friends. the cold air made my teeth hurt but the frozen peat kept our feet dry...mostly

commuting

2011-01-28T18:27:00.004Z

first week done and clocked just over 100m. a few things i've noticed....

*it's very different from the 3m downhill spin to my old job!!!
*rush hour riding is properly frightening
*big roundabouts raise my heart rate considerably
*mudguards are essential, why don't i have any?!
*public toilets are too small for changing in and i feel too guilty about using the disabled ones
*skool books are heavy but are also a useful ballasted
*apparently helmet hair is not cool or funny

*my legs aren't big enough for singespeeding up these humps...yet

day1 nurse skool

2011-01-24T16:33:00.003Z

i arrived a little late due to a navigation error but i hadn't missed anything and could just join the back of the queue for uniform fitting. unfortunately this meant i was the weird one in lycra with a bad case of helmet hair. hmmmm...first impressions... got chatting to the student in front of me, who seemed really nice. we then discovered that we're both on our 3rd first year attempts, we decided it might not be a good idea for us to be friends!

strathpuffer + cairngorm= awesomeness

2011-01-19T12:50:00.003Z

hmmm, i look down at my bike. i'm pretty sure that pushing the pedal down, should move the bike forward. the cranks shouldn't just spin, should they? i have to double check myself. it's dark and windy, the rain is falling and i'm on lap6. i probably shouldn't be feeling this spent so soon into a 24hr race but it's to be expected...and we wont dwell on *that* now.

yup, the bike is officially knackered. i hate to admit it but my first thought is 'oh, well and least that's a decent excuse!' but during the long walk back to the start line and potential assistance i decide that the worst case scenario is to change into fell shoes and jog round with the bike. i recon i can manage 2 laps and then stop, feeling like i've not totally given up. yup, my brain is officially knackered.

fortunately the lovely kilted mechanic was able to liberate the freewheel...using a massive hammer and a few mini chocolate rolls. i say fortunately...this meant not only swapping from an 18 tooth to a 16 but now i had no excuse not to push on. strangely at this point someone asked me 'why strathpuffer?' at that moment i couldn't really explain, it took a few more laps of thinking.

firstly the course is ace, whatever the weather. ice, mud, snow, wind and rain, it's still ride-able. but it's more than that. yes everyone involved is really friendly and there's a true sense of camaraderie on the trail but you can say that about a lot of events. i think for me, the reason i came back for more and the reason that i'll be back again, is because it's hard. it's really blimin' hard.

photo taken by aviemoron

i managed to keep going for a few more laps but in reality i spent more time drinking tea and scoffing ritz crackers. i just didn't have the legs or in fact the arms to do anything amazing. and there were some amazing efforts going on, just take a look at the results. everyone i spoke to had tales of big spills and bike failures, and pretty much everyone i spoke to offered me tea and cake. yes, strathpuffer is a brilliant race. i rode my bike, i pushed my bike, i smiled and sang to myself. i had a brilliant time and came away with some very generous prizes. for this i feel a little guilty, next time i hope to do the race justice and i hope to take up some of those offers of tea. is it ok to bank the, very much appreciated, offers of a brew and shelter for a year?!

...and so on to cairngorm recovery. on monday i swapped wheels for planks. the smell of cold air and hot wax is so evocative to me. takes me back to be being a fearless child, shooting off down mountains getting to the bottom, being told to put more sun screen on and refusing. getting on the lift and doing it all over again. this time my lips were already badly chapped, probably from the dehydration of yesterdays activities. there was no one to tell me to stop for lunch and only my mashed quads reminding me not to razzzzz too hard. up, down, up, down, up, down.... not a day for off piste but a fantastic day on the hill.

on tuesday i traded the skis for spikes and headed off to coires. feeling tired and lethargic i trudged up to coire an t'sneachda. approaching the amphitheater of dark buttresses and snow filled gullies a gush of excitement crashed over me. i found a 'second wind'. just look at it, how can you wish to be anywhere but here?

hot blackcurrant from a flask only tastes this good, when the sheltering behind a rock whilst cold fingers fiddle with crampon straps, munching a chocolate bar and trying to ensure your map doesn't blow away. pretty much perfect. a quick scamper up the goat track reminds my legs of the previous days efforts. onto the plateau and the cloud comes in. not quite a white out but enough for me to realise that i need to concentrate.

suddenly the wind stops, total silence. i can see a boulder behind me but nothing else. no horizon but more importantly no cornice. a few deep breaths, trust the compass, check the watch and count the contours. slowly but surely i make way around the coire rim and up onto cairngorm summit. there were fleeting breaks in the cloud, views snatched between map fumbling.

then all too soon i'm back at the car. a car that's filled with adventure potential. shall i stay another night, i could camp out or even bike over the other valley. or maybe one more day of skiing but there's something missing. actually two things, obviously i've no energy left what so ever but i miss jane. all this fun without her, just doesn't seem fair.

so, 9hrs after getting off the hill i'm back home. tired and happy.

i may be some time...

2011-01-13T17:24:00.000Z

i've had literally all year to prepare for strathpuffer...today i have decided to change the freewheel, fit a new chain, bed in 2 sets of pads, fit mud tyres and generally faff about with my bike. followed by some frantic packing. a mild panic as i'll be jane-less and having to look after myself-i can barely manage normally! i like to think of myself as the anti- rob lee. but i guess that's why he's so good at this kinda thing! yes, it looks a lot of stuff and it is. but hopefully, if the weather gods are on my side, i'll be spending a few days in aviemore before heading home....ROAD TRIP!!!

may the force be with you to all fellow 'puffers. and thank you trio, jumbly, richpips and oneblackdot, for sight and traction.

crunch.click.creeeeek.

2011-01-11T11:15:00.004Z

goes my knee, as i ease down the stairs. crunch.click.creeeeek. goes my knee, as press the clutch and change gear. crunch.click.creeeeek. goes my knee, as bend down to help old ladies put their slippers on. but wait a minuet, it's the same crunch. click. creeeeek. that my knee has been making for the past 6months, only slightly worse. which considering i spent a good few hours jogging round the peak last saturday isn't too bad.

i just couldn't say no. we, 'team marathon-schmarathon' (myself, jane, vikki and jo), have got an entry for the hpm. which is notoriously difficult to do. so, i couldn't say no. our first reccy was planned, the weather looked potentially snowy but definitely cold and windy. i couldn't say no. meeting up with friends and the promise of shared cake, i couldn't say no.

the running was slow and a little painful on my part. but it was so good to be on the hills with friends.

**offical knee update
to cut a long and very boring story short, i did get a referral to an orthopedic clinic but due house move and post redirection i missed my appointment and now have to start again. totally fed up i gave up but having just remember how much i love running, i've registered with a new gp and will start again. however, having had such a gap off running, and nearly a month of just booze, it would seem the 'rest' has done some good.

B update

2011-01-07T16:18:00.005Z

i actually rode my bike today! i know! nothing like a bit of last minute training. this time next week i'll be somewhere on the a9 on the way to strathpuffer. in typical style i'm some what under prepared, but i can assure you this is the most 'under prepared' i have ever been. exciting.

it was the fresh snow that actually enticed me outside today. enough to make everything pretty again and to give just enough grip on the frozen/thawed mud. i got lost twice but discovered two new downs, not sure if i'll be able to find them again. at least 'puffer is on a marked course. also, there's going to be some baking later (photos tomorrow) and if 'puffer doesn't completely break me, then the first bivvy of the year isn't far off.

happy '11 ya'll

2011-01-01T17:01:00.003Z

last year kinda fizzled out for me. what with a house move and job change, knee failure, somewhere along the way i lost my outdoor fun mojo. only for it to be replaced with a seemingly never ending bottle of booze. it's strange looking back, it almost feels like a different person that ran over fells and rode twisting trails. but i do have photographs to prove it! and the move has given me a whole new play ground, while the job change will allow me to go back to skool. exciting times ahead.

it's been brilliant and inspiring reading others blogs over the past year. seeing folks complete their goals and challenges. crossing the land from coast to coast, ticking off peaks, riding in circles for as long as they can, over coming injuries and just generally getting out there and doing it. i've been vicariously living though their tales. so here's to an adventure filled 2011 for everyone. for me it's all about the B, baking, biking and bivvying.....and a knee caps crossed, hopefully a little bit of running.

see you on hills!

real life resumes

2010-12-06T18:13:00.004Z

doing agency work has certain perks. white hills and a blue sky mean i don't have to go to work....as long as i promise (myself and jane) that i'll make the time up... last week was full of snow rides, wading walks and lashings of tea and cake.

unfortunately it can't continue indefinitely. shifts have been booked. hopefully the weather forecast is correct and i'll still get some quiet trail time too. why is the cold and frozen so much more inviting when you don't have to go to work. today, it's been nothing but a hindrance.

'puffer training

2010-11-30T21:37:00.003Z

there's a bike race in the not too distant future. i use the word 'training' very loosely but it kinda started today. slowly slippin' and sliding and exploring new trails.

cross training in the evening then consisted of helping push stuck cars up the road...not before making a snow ninja.

still looking

2010-11-27T22:08:00.000Z

skinny wheels on holiday

2010-11-26T21:04:00.004Z

it's an easy routine to fall into. breakfast of two courses, the first being served in bed. the second and early brunch and maybe the beginning of a board game. then the sudden realisation, it's winter and daylight isn't something to take for granted. a quick look at the map, scouring for chevrons.

this is no place to hide. along the valley and up over the hill. along another valley, over another hill. the choice is endless, but my legs and energy aren't. another log on the fire and more tea in the pot. i promise myself that tomorrow i'll ride all the hills. there'll be no walking. i went in search of my cycling legs this week. still looking but i've got a better idea about where they're hiding.

back in the room

2010-11-24T18:06:00.003Z

everything and nothing has changed since my last post. my job finished, i started a new one with an agency. we moved house, 5 transit van loads and 3 car fulls of stuff shifted. this also resulted in us being tin'ternet free for nearly 3 weeks. my knee is still a bit rubbish and i'm still waiting for a referral for an mri-there appears to be an issue because we've moved out of the area. i also had a birthday, some cup cakes were eaten. jane and i have also celebrated our ten year anniversary-we're not married. it's just ten years since she accosted me the toilets of a bar in stoke on trent.

we're currently celebrating with a week in hawes, wensleydale. the cottage is lovely...it also has wifi...it appears i've a lot of catching up to do. so listen out for a knock at the virtual door, i'll be popping round for a cuppa. i'll bring tea cake and wensleydale.

i am not a runner

2010-10-26T10:28:00.003+01:00

unsurprisingly the xray showed nothing. apart from my varicose veins which i can assure you, you don't need radiation to see. now i'm waiting for an mri, which will be able to show up cartilage damage. in the mean time i've made a decision. no more running. no more races and more importantly, no more feeling guilty about not running....until janurary, then i'll reassess.

in the meantime, new hobbies are swimming and climbing. there'll be some cycling too, but mainly the road kind where the use of gears is kinder to my knee-no, 'i told you so's' please.

brake & knee update

2010-10-18T08:51:00.004+01:00

i'm almost as frustrated with my bloody knee as i was with the bloody brakes. some days i don't feel it at all, some days the pain wakes me up in the night. sometimes is feels weak and gives way, other times it completely locks up and needs clicking back out. it doesn't seem to matter if i run or not. obviously running makes it a bit worse but i've been doing nothing for nearly 2 months now and there's been no improvement. even pedaling causes some discomfort. a good day is brufen free. a trip to the doctors has resulted in an xray. it's going to take 3 weeks for the gp to review it. by that time we'll have moved. oh well. hopefully a friend will be able to take a peek at work tomorrow. worst case, might need a washout, best case, just need to toughen up and take the pills when needed. actually that might be the wrong way round. i'm not sure at the moment.

having not done any regular fun for months i'm getting chubby, which in turn is making me feel pretty fed up. race plans are being canceled. this needs to get sorted out and i need to stop this constant cycle of rest, knee abuse, rest, knee abuse.

the brakes were actually much easier to sort, once you've got the correct tools. these turned out to be a kitchen knife, a pair of pliers and the edge of a hardback wainwright guide book. do folks really carry pliers on the trail? and in a moment of madness i also cleaned and regressed both hubs-incident free! and the road bike is now sporting a new bb but i've been defeated in indexing the gears properly. four and half punctures have been repaired and the mass of bike parts in the cellar has also been consolidated to a(nother) singlespeed for jane-just what she wanted. so all my bikes are ready to roll just need to borrow a left knee from where.

caesars camp endurance run-pit crew view

2010-10-12T14:50:00.002+01:00

it's 22:30 on saturday evening, speakers are blaring out bluegrass, there's a giant swearing dutchman, i'm wearing my cow suit, standing in the middle of what is best described as 4x4 test ground and waiting for a woman i've only met twice before. yes, it was a very surreal weekend, welcome to caesars camp endurance run.

the course is 10m long, there are no big ups or downs, just many, many short, sharp, quad mashing ones. gaynor, the woman we barely know, had entered the 100m race. so, that's 10 laps of the uppy, downy, 4x4 churned up, twisty singletrack, stony fire road, flint scattered, hard packed trail running route. for some reason she thought jane and i would make a good support crew and for some reason, we thought, staying up all night watching strangers run themselves into the ground would be good fun too.

from the off gaynor was impressive, all we had to do was follow the plan and not miss her coming though the start/finish area-there would be no 'tyndrum incidents' on my watch! armed with a list of requests and a box of slimfast we happily slipped into a routine. having about 2 hours between laps gaynor had ensured that we wouldn't get bored. she'd left a little pressie for us to unwrap after each lap. this turned out to be a genius idea. not only keeping us amused but a number of people where impressed with my balloon cock hats. there was also a specially selected playlist. also genius, but it did lead to me doing a tina turner impression right in front of where gaynor was trying to run-sorry.

in amongst the balloon animal hilarity and the fake 'tashes, there were some seriously impressive performances going on. and i'm not talking about the tina turner thing... by the half way point gaynor was a lap ahead. it was now time to start thinking about course records. from 60m you're allowed to have pacers. jane and i took turns in keeping gaynor company. from looking at the stats jane actually 'paced' gaynor, think i concentrated more on 'entertainment'.

the course is tough, there's no real let up, no opportunity for resting. it's either up or down but at no point did we hear gaynor complain. she's blimin' tough. there were no diva moments, no demands for black forest gateaux (actually there was but we ignored it) and not even a whimper about stopping. she totally smashed the womens course record by over 3hours, finishing in 22:30hrs. she ran 100 miles in 22:30hrs, amazing, just amazing.

we had a top weekend. through the process of sleep deprivation, trail running and balloon animal making i feel like i've made a new friend. one that's pretty darn good at this ultra lark.

oh yeh, some scottish bloke also had a blinder with 18:41. that time is not a typo! well done richie, awesome running.

hammer time

2010-10-06T22:48:00.003+01:00

why the fuck would someone design a brake pad that can not be removed without the aid of pliers and brute force???

or am i completely missing the bleedin' obvious. i give up, i just want to be able to ride my bike...and also stop occasionally.

actually, more boxes please

2010-10-03T16:51:00.005+01:00

more hills, more camping, more wild and wind swept times please....there was a planed trip to the highlands this weekend. but the weather wasn't looking too favourable for ramsay round reccying (not mine!). so, instead i made a start on the other 'to do' list and went house hunting. sometimes life just gets in the way.

amazingly, we've found something already. which means we've got 4 weeks to pack up and start our new life in the country-ish. exciting and daunting in equal measure. it's suddenly dawned on me that there's limited time for the local singletrack, drinking with friends and actually enjoying living in city. it's a busy few weeks ahead.

in the meantime jane has fully taken over the role of runner in our house. unfazed by wet and windy trails she did the half 'hope moors and tors' today. i was a very proud (and soggy) spectator. driving home we realsied that next year we'll be able to have 45minutes extra in bed. best get packing...

rab mountain marathon

2010-09-26T21:08:00.004+01:00

sometimes experience can breed complacency. mostly though, it raises your exceptions, not just of yourself but partner too. we had a bit a bit of though one this weekend at the rab. lost half our points on the saturday, realising too late that we weren't fit enough for our chosen route. sunday we finished nearly 15 minutes early, slightly broken with not much to show for it.

if it's just the racing that matters than this was certainly our worst result yet. we both had a few wobblies. there were nearly tears on the fell side. but, and this is the most important part, after over 11 hours of hilly challenges the over riding feeling is one of quiet, contemplative satisfaction.

finishing with smiles and though hobbling, the crags and tarns have reignited our desire to get back out there. more hills, more camping, more wild and wind swept times please.

stampeeeeeeede

2010-09-22T09:28:00.005+01:00

finally emerged from last weekends hangover. a good friends hen do, that despite plastic cocks, actually turned out to be a great laugh. wearing giant cow print baby grows to a ballroom dancing lesson is the highlight of my year so far.

someone elses localness bivvy

2010-09-15T22:16:00.005+01:00

it starts with a leisurely train journey. bike gleaming in the sunlight, legs mud free and no grit in my eye. some 24 hours later, a different train heading home. filthy bike, grimy legs and soaked through to the bone...it's been a great bivvy.

courier styley amy led the way through manchester and out onto her local trails. sneaking between golf courses and river banks, a few berms and a 'water feature', up and over a big hill and straight to the pub. vikki was already there, looking far too clean and dry for my liking. some questionable risotto and a few beers and it was time to head back out into the weather.

plan a was to sleep on top of a big hill, instead wind and rain activated plan b-thankfully. to the nearest woods, where local yoofs had kindly built a shelter in the trees. tucked in and all cozy and trying to ignore the sounds of what probably was a mad axe murderer lurking about. a damp and windy morning crept through the trees to wake us. slow to brake camp, we lingered in our warm bags, putting off the inevitable.

pedaling back into manchester, the rain continued and i seem to remember some wind too. but we spent the night out, rode our bikes and had a jolly good time. weather gods, you can not beat us!

the 'bring your good legs' ride

2010-09-11T18:07:00.002+01:00

chris led the way and i chased new bike buddy, rich. up, down, up, down, tea and biscuits. up, down, up, down, woodbine cafe. i was told to bring my good legs...unfortunately they stayed in bed. but the company was good, just enough moody cloud, a cooling drizzle, proper hills and rocky downs. and i got lunch out too. cheers guys.

the 'brunch' ride

2010-09-09T15:05:00.000+01:00

i needed to do something mindless, something to clear the fug of visiting the grandparents yesterday. neither are doing very well at the moment. both are too set in their ways to accept offers of support. we just have to stand back and watch the gradually accelerating decline. sad and frustrating in equal measures.

55 miles of undulating lanes, squeezed in between breakfast and lunch. it doesn't change their situation but it does make me feel a little better. the ache in my legs i can deal with and hopefully i'll sleep better tonight.

also, in case you're wondering, it is possible to stretch a 26" mtb tube round a 700cc wheel. numpty.

cakes and bicycles

2010-09-05T20:26:00.009+01:00

certain things are inevitable. i always knew my competitive streak would seep over into to my clumsy baking. just thought it would happen in another 30 years or so. i've also had an inkling that a dabble in triathlon might come my way. what i didn't expect was for both things to happen in the same slightly surreal weekend.

saturday- the gedling borough show.
following the strict rules of the committee members i took my 'classic victoria sponge' to the site before 12noon. the marquee was full of giant marrows, home made jams, gleaming onions and perfectly arranged potatoes. there was a hushed air of anticipation, gardeners made their final adjustments to displays. leeks were being covered with damp cloths and raspberry's delicately placed in rows. i was ushered to 'class 81' and given a plastic bag to cover my cake. eying up the competition i realised that i'd already made two crucial mistakes. firstly i'd used blackcurrant jam (homemade by my grandma) and secondly, had allowed it to ooze.

james (jane's dad) was also 'showing' (i think that's the correct term). due to a very successful haul on the allotment he'd entered numerous categories. he proudly showed me round and explained the complex eccentricities of such a typically british past time.

the mysteries of what constitutes the perfect dressed onion or the perfectly risen loaf remain just that. the judging takes place behind closed doors. after a nervous two hours we return. baking doesn't get more exciting than this!

sadly my cake didn't place. but i think i know where i went wrong. next time, yes, there will be a next time, i'll take more care in the folding of flour. james had a very successful show, winning best marmalade, second place in the loaf category. he also has prize winning beans, courgettes, garlic, potatoes, onions and raspberry's.

it was an absolutely lovely way to spend a saturday afternoon.

sunday- cotswold sprint triathlon.
ok, i have to admit i took part in a relay team, stepping in for a friend of my dad's at the last minuet. i only had 20km to ride but it was flat and fast. importantly we beat someone i've not met before sister and it was also over by 10am. got me thinking though...

expensive knees

2010-09-01T20:49:00.000+01:00

there's not been a whole lot of running recently. laziness 'n' booze have been contributing factors but the main reason has been 'a pain in the knee'. it's been a bit iffy since that race in scotland. i've just ignored it and hoped it would go away. it hasn't and i need to start training again. we're supporting gaynor on a ridiculous 100 miler in october.

another trip to sally (the physio). this time i have water on the knee. which i think sounds rather quaint, if painful. more exercises and stretching but the magic is how to tape your patella. done properly and i can run pain free. best start now!

gaynor's feet...must keep up...

the vanishing

2010-08-30T20:15:00.008+01:00

down the steps, cursing the sanitation. spaced just too far apart for fun, but stick with it, it's about to get good. sneaking right and it all smooths out. time to increase the speed. flashes of green and yellow. the seasons are a changin' but the sun's still out. keep on weaving between the ancient oaks and silver birch.

early morning means dappled trails, the light plays tricks on the ground. hard right. get into the groove and slingshot round. remember to miss that bit of old concrete post, almost hidden by wild flowers. brambles scratch and tall grass tickles, the trail narrows beneath your wheels. short, sharp left. a bit steep, almost a switchback but not quite. more of a chicane. red berries scatter, power out and power on.

you can see where you want to go but, for a split second, the route almost disappears. off camber acorns and hold your nerve. back into the trees. handle bar high nettles line the way. two more swoops and you're done. relish the final twist. get spat back out. onto the yellow dust road.

'the vanishing'. it's less than a quarter of a mile long but it's the best stretch of local dirt and sand. it's nearly perfect, the faster you go the better it is. one more time? yes please.

dancing shoes

2010-08-25T16:03:00.004+01:00

august has been a wet month. i'm not complaining about muddy trails or slippery roots, i wouldn't know, i've not ventured further than the offy. the past few weeks have drifted by in a boozy haze. who knew shouting europe's 'the final countdown' could be so much fun, or drinking shots through ridiculously long straws is in fact hilarious.

things are starting to wobble again and the thought of lycra makes me run away screaming. a self imposed detox is to begin-which basically means no mid week booze, no crisps or chocolate to be consumed whilst on the sofa and no baking until...september.

...thanks for the photo lizzy. not my shoes by the way.

a virtual holiday

2010-08-19T22:00:00.001+01:00

...no, i don't know why i'm wearing a beard either.

hangovers seem to linger these days. the big chill was fantastic, as usual. dancing til dawn and living off tequila and chips. the high of big cycling miles combined with good friends and chooons lasted as long as the hangover.

back to earth with a bump. suddenly everything needs to be done at once. the 'serious' to do list is ever growing. bursary forms need completing, houses moving, decisions making, my job also finishes in 6 weeks, probably should find something to fill in the gap til skool starts. basically, i've been busy doing nothing but having a little worry. however, as the great ronan keating says, life is a roller coaster and you've just gotta ride it.

it's jane's birthday tomorrow and she'll officially be a giffer (30). it's also my two year blog-a-versery this week. there's been lots of ups and downs, some flat bits, quite a few punctures, a few too many cakes and more friendly support and baiting than i could ever have imagined. thanks for stopping by guys, it's very much appreciated. help your self to a cake, there's plenty to go round.

the 'home2home' ride

2010-08-04T21:39:00.009+01:00

nottingham to newport, according to google map, is 141m ...if you don't get lost.

monday morning, don't snooze, don't think, just get up. coffee, muesli, gingerbread man. check out the window, still no rain. no excuse not to go. out the door and pedaling by 06:00.

moved by the romanticized pain and suffering of le tour i fancied a big ol' road ride. as usual the idea was great but my planning was poor. road bike not in a fit a state for the distance, so slicks fitted to the lean, mean, commuting machine. route plotting consisted of getting walking directions from google map. 24 pages of instructions to be exact. i was ready for a long day in the saddle....

still in nottingham, and first turning missed. brain still asleep. on to castle donnington and i find myself riding down a slip road to the m1. wake up time. back on route and heading to (adrian) mole country. flat green fields and bright yellow corn, the tarmac winds its way through sleepy villages. 4x4's and jag's being driven too fast, country pubs and flies in my eyes.

a couple of jelly babies and by 11 o'clock i'm just south of of birmingham. the sun is shining and all is well. a pause for marmite sandwiches (freshly made this time) and i'm rolling on the first bit of duel carriage way towards evesham. typically, i manage to cycle 7m in the wrong direction. that makes 14m of superfluous, death defying dual carriageway. oh well, keep on pedaling.

when i finally reach evesham i stop for a pint of coke. and a pint of water. oh, and a bag of cheese and onion crisps....oh, and can i have a bag of peanuts as well please. the bar keep comments that i've put my good work to waste with all those calories.

sat outside someone asks me for directions, ha, i nearly choke on a dry roast peanut. a local bar fly asks where i'm heading. i realsie that newport sounds ridiculous, so plump for chepstow. "what! today, on that? it's about 140m!" i hope he's wrong, it should only be about 70m from here.

rollin', rollin', rollin'. some more missed turns and cursings of google map directions. a realisation that a more comprehensive map, or a map, would be really useful. in a village somewhere near cheltnam i break. mind fuzzing around the edges, nothing makes sense anymore and i've been up and down the same stretch of road for the last 30 minutes.

i phone home. jane manages to work out where i am, despite me not being able to remember how many times i've crossed to motorway or give her any road names. printed directions are now scrapped. jane gets me moving and soon i'm on the roads i know. i spot my first sign for newport. only 43m.

the genius of this route 'planning' is all the climbing is in the last 30m. brilliant. but climbs mean descents and i'm going as fast as i dare. the severn estuary is on my left and it's a stunning evening for fast corners on skinny(ish) tyres.

more coke, another sandwich, another fly in the eye. the sun's setting as i finally cross the boarder into wales. this really does feel like the home straight now, only 10m to go. dark, car-less lanes lead me to the final turn. i've never been so pleased to see my parents house.

just over 16hours in the saddle, approximately 158m ridden, numerous wrong turns, slight sunburn, not a single puncture and a smile from ear to ear. first tick off the list. tidy.

offal-ly good times

2010-07-31T18:11:00.002+01:00

nursing a very slight hangover yesterday, running plans were put on hold. the only cure, a day of gentle pottering. we were already in the derbyshire hills, having spent the evening 'sipping' wine and sampling new cheese (black bomber-razor blade cheddar yet creamy soft) in the o-p's caravan.

content to sit and marvel at the views from the comfort of the chair/bed, radio 4's calming tones, the rustle of newspapers and the occasional click of the kettle, the only noise. a short jaunt to bakewell and back to the 'van with sweet and savory treats.

i chose the bakewell pudding, jane chose the haslet. only one of these was actually finished. i'm glad i tried the pork the entrails, now i never have to do that again. unlike the haslet, the bakewell pudding tasted infinitely better than it looked.

cheese, pudding, haslet miles:
* i managed a slow 3m jog to work this morning
* jane did 17m. her furthest yet. she is now officially in haslet deficit.

the 'what a lovely evening' ride

2010-07-27T23:23:00.004+01:00

a warm evening sun, five bicycles and dusty tracks. a ride of simple pleasures, managing the steps without a thought, bouncing over roots and slithering between the trees. spinning and smiling and ginger bread chomping.

curtain twtiching

2010-07-27T17:01:00.004+01:00

inspired by jane logging yet another half marathon last weekend, i attempted to go for a long run this morning. thwarted before i even left the house. our street was cordoned off, with armed police stood outside the front door. i don't need to be told twice. after a few hours they'd gone. still have no idea what/who they were looking for. in the mean time i cleaned the house and baked some gingerbread men.

i bet nigella doesn't have to put up with such distractions.

photography and cake

2010-07-24T17:46:00.003+01:00

went to see the diane arbus exhibition at the nottingham contemporary. fascinating portraits of american life. sub cultures within sub cultures. definitely worth a visit.

we also had our photos taken in the world's largest photo booth. jane, me, what a pair of beauties. then we had some cake....

swimming

2010-07-22T15:57:00.005+01:00

bit of a soggy run along derwent edge this morning. but more importantly back in time for le tour. thank goodness for itv4+1. how do other folk cope keeping up with their soaps and tv shows? the past three weeks of my life have been completely dictated by tour highlights and live streaming.

come on schleck!

the 'which way' ride

2010-07-20T22:56:00.004+01:00

big gear pushing, new path finding, flying ant swatting, death road speeding, flapjack sharing, hernia hill grinding, tuesday evening riding.

no one's chain came off and we beat the rain.

lawhw

2010-07-20T10:30:00.004+01:00

it's been four weeks since the whw and i miss it already. and before you say "i told you so," i'm still not going to do it again....well not next year anyway (but it's now, an itch that will have to be scratched). i miss the the idea of a big challenge, but not the way the whw seemed to paralyze me into inactivity.

i've had a good ol' think about what makes for a good day out and the kind of challenges that leaving me wanting more. the conclusion, it's got to involve big hills and possibly sometime trying to sleep under the stars. with next year being taken up with going back to skool a series of mini adventures are being planned. also, there's been a distinct lack of cakes in recent months.

life after west highland way. no structure, no training, no logic. just doing some stuff to make me smile, whilst wiping the cake crumbs from my face.

one day...

2010-07-13T23:00:00.001+01:00

i'll give the stairs ago...maybe.

work to trail in less than 10. the kind of ride where the bike gets cleaner and you get damper. 'is it raining? i hadn't noticed'...too busy spinning and sliding and just enjoying the riding.

saunders lakeland mountain marathon

2010-07-11T12:27:00.009+01:00

...and a week of recovery in the lakes. also known as, the perfect antidote to the whw race.

jo normally runs with her dad in the saunders. unfortunately his knee'd been giving him some serious gip, so with a week to go i bravely stepped in. my only concern being that we could still top out in the mixed vet category in kirkfell!

jo's a very competent navigator so my only job was to keep up and remind her to eat occasionally. saturday was a day of great running, high fells with fantastic views. mid camp was full of laughter and rehydrated meals. company and race tales provided by jane and vikki (carrock fell, moving up a category from last year) and cat and ruth (wansfell, mountain marathon virgins). jane and vikki had a good day out but the all the drama belongs to cat and ruth.

somehow they missed their first checkpoint but stumbled on number two. from here they were able to work out where they were, went back to number one before returning to number two. this would be the last checkpoint they would find today. and a few hours of searching, even using police style techniques they decided to call it a day. arriving at mid camp long over due but with smiles as broad as the valley. impressive.

to our surprise we'd finished day1 just 15min behind the first female team. but more importantly first mixed vet. i realise this doesn't count as we're both ladies and too young but i wanted to do john proud. not a bad result for a day that felt like a lovely trot out with friends. as the evening sun disappeared behind the crags, we slipped into our down bags. tomorrow would be race day.

a gray cold morning is never the most inspiring way to start but we had time to try and make up, and even in the clag longsleddale is a beautiful place. i'm always surprised at how quickly you can pack up camp. being so self sufficient is really satisfying.

a tricky day for navigation but jo was fantastic, no time lost and pretty much spot on for every checkpoint. in total contrast to the previous day, it was hard going. still runnable but an energy sapping wind and horizontal rain making for less than pleasant conditions.

three checkpoints from the end we came upon another female pair. after a mutual 'sizing up' i was pretty sure they were the leading team. however, as we didn't know what time they'd started we didn't know if we'd made or lost minuets to them. nothing like a bit of excitement to warm freezing limbs. we tried to pass them but they were really strong. the final quarter of a mile was real running. we both crossed the line knowing we had nothing left. what better way to finish. after pushing hard and keeping each other going, i feel like i've made new friend and partner in crime. hopefully one who'll let me follow her around again. jane and vikki finished in good time, with vikki praising jane's navigation. and amazingly cat and ruth found all the check points and in the right order. obviously they work better in tough conditions!!

as for the those 15min, well, we only made up 5. and we lost time to the eventual mixed vet winners. but overall we came 26/78 and second female team (kirkfell).

the rest of last week was spent with jane's family on holiday in the lakes. celebrating her mum's 60th, with a run along the screes in wasdale, too much cheese, too much ale, just the right amount of pimms a few walks, probably not quite enough cake and biscuits, nursing hangovers, aching knees and colds.

i have discovered the cure to ultra running failure.

yesterday

2010-06-28T19:30:00.001+01:00

i was at work, apparently england played some very bad football and jane ran in her first (road) half marathon. she was aiming for 2:10, as part of her training for the full size in september. despite sweltering conditions she pretty much stayed on target but was disappointed at the lack of 'sponge stops' as advertised.

a nice recovery run this evening. chatting as we went, she admitted to feeling pretty intimidated by the prospect of having to run any further than 13.2m. being a finely tuned and experienced endurance athlete, i was full of advice. she's not going to take any of it and will carry on instead with her training programme.

things have changed

2010-06-26T21:17:00.004+01:00

since my last night ride. the singletrack is dusty and over grown. nettles high enough to sting the tops of your arms-yes, riding in short sleeves. lights only required if you linger too long over a fine pale ale. there's a new bike on the scene too, lady alex and her (charge) duster. a beautiful setting sun, topped off with the 'best flapjack in the world'. my riding buddies are ace.

oh, and i received a gift from simon....it might break my legs...

west highland way race

2010-06-22T14:35:00.002+01:00

it's time for some honesty folks. i'm a bit rubbish when it comes to sticking to a plan. i'd hoped that setting goals so high, i could change a habit of a life time. i'm not just talking about running here but life in general. for me this 'race' was more about the challenge of preparation, remaining focused and motivated. obviously i failed massively in this respect. so plan b was actioned, race as road trip and have a laugh along the way.

like all good road trips, it starts with cramming the car full lucozade, jelly babies and proclaimers cd's. to scotland! and the small matter of a 95mile running race...

for the purpose of this post, 'jaki' is in reference to jane and vikki. possibly the best support team a trainer wearing shuffler can have....except that time in tyndrum but we'll discuss that later. also, the word 'running' can be frequently substituted for, shuffling, hobbling, walking, standing still and sniffling and hyperventilating.

chatting to others on the start line, i was nervously trying to find people to stick with, who's pace wouldn't rip my legs off after 20miles. i got talking to an american woman. she was aiming for a sub 19 hour, i edged away from her. not before asking what the ultra scene was like in the states. she explained that's it's much more popular but the problem's that more people enter without having done the right training are trying to get to 'just get round', rather than actually race. yeh, i also hate that attitude, i slipped away, heading to the back of the pack.

01:00 and we're off. dodging revellers in the street and heading to the twisty singletrack of mugdock country park. the soundtrack of nervous chatter and garmin beeps punctuate the night silence. but by the time i reach jaki, 13m in, the field has already spread out.

my pace is a plod but i'm actually enjoying the feeling of freedom that night running gives. the sky is so clear that i switch the head torch off. running towards conic hill with the sun rising behind me, this is it, this is why.

the ground is hard and dry, making an easy descent. into balmaha, 20m, and jaki is there waiting. i'm packed off with encouragement and stale marmite sandwiches. some more running. the water is still on the loch side and it's already starting to warm up. my only thought is to get to tyndrum (the finish of the fling) and still be able to move.

next stop, rowardennan, 27m. the car park is full of sleep deprived support crews. despite the heat everyone is wearing full body cover and midge nets. everyone looks the same and i can't see jaki. thankfully jane emerges from a cloud of midges and directs me to our pit stop. sat down, my shoes are changed and legs covered in deet, i'm not quite sure who was doing what but i was very grateful. some muesli shoveled down and i'm sent on my way.

along the loch side, nemisis country. head down, keep on moving, don't think about speed or distance. i don't even look at the view, i've seen it before. it's lovely and remains so for a very long time. at inversnaid, 35m, i've a drop bag waiting. again, it's contents are uninspiring. oh, more lucazade and some jelly babies.

on my own i plug in the headphones and let the tunes carry me forward. a combination of early nineties rave, dolly parton and some dodgy 'rockapella' sees the loch soon disappear. jaki are waiting for me at beinglass, 41m, and i can't wait to see a friendly face. so far it's felt like a very lonely race.

another change of shoes, application of suncream and pot noodle inhaling. but all i want was some plan water. apparently i hadn't put that on my spreadsheet. i was also told i was well behind the 24hr schedule. despite looking forward to seeing jaki, i left feeling pretty fed up. i managed to work myself up into a bit of state. shuffling along i was blaming jaki for everything.

i then had a thought. maybe i should try actually running rather than this shuffling i'd been doing. my next revelation was that if i could keep this up i could get back on schedule. feeling better and wanting to share the news i called jaki. jane answered, listened to me rambling on. she said 'yes', 'keep it up' in all the right places. little did i know that i'd just woken them both up. if i had, i think that might have made me feel even better!

by auchentyre, 50m, i'd made some time up and the mountain views were starting to fuel me again. jaki directed me to the official weigh-in. all ok. a jacket potatoe donated by some lovely marshals was a welcome respite from the sugary treats. not wanting to waste time i pushed on, knowing that i'd be seeing jaki again in just another 3m.

the potatoe must have been laced with EPO or speed. i arrived at the point of bag exchange and planned pot noodle consumption, only jaki wasn't there. i plodded on whilst making a few phone calls. soon jane comes running up the trail with my bag and a pot noodle in the other hand. no real time lost but jaki have slight indigestion.

this next section is surrounded by munros, all tempting you to higher places. ignoring the hills and keeping my eyes on the trail stretched out before me, on i plod. suddenly i need to stop, my bowels are making a protest. there's not much cover on this stretch, so i just pull off the trail slightly. squatting down i realise that i've no toilet paper, not even a buff. what i would have given for a lost glove! i start to shuffle on but just out of curiosity look down. now, i see a lot of poo in my line of work but i have never seen a poo so black. amazed and slightly horrified i managed to resist the urge to pick it up in a sandwich bag just so i could show jaki. i think i might have been quiet tired at this point.

i hobbled into the bridge of orchy, 60m. from here onwards jaki would also be sherpa as well as roadside support. first up was vikki, leading the way over the hill to inveroran. the views across to loch tulla were stunning and hopefully making up for my lack conversation. ensuring that i kept moving and drinking vikki did a brilliant job.

down into inveroran, 62m, and jane was lycr'd up and ready. full of pace stats and schedules initially we made good progress. jane explained that if i could keep up this pace (a pitiful 13.5 minuet mile) i'd be on for a sub 25hr.

rannoch moor is a beautifully wild and desolate place. i might not have looked like it but i was pleased to be there, more so that i was getting to share this moment with my girlfriend. then something happened, something changed. i slowed right down, i was struggling to breath and felt like i'd been punched in the back. from here onwards nothing could shake me out of this state. i think i knew then that my race was over.

eventually we made it to the glencoe checkpoint, 70m. vikki was waiting to go and prepared comedy protein snacks for me. i sat in the car, had a little weep and then retired from the race. i'd been on the go for 18 and half hours, anti climax is an understatement.

jaki continued with their thankless task and took me to the hotel in fort william. jane came to collect me from the car. "good news and bad news," she said, "we're checked in, the room's on the third floor", she pause, trying not to laugh, "but there's no lift." apparently i also cried at this point.

after a shower, a slice of pizza the race dissection began. jane and vikki were brilliant. even more so that they both still agreed to support me knowing full well that my training has been, erm... 'unconventional'. so what has this experiment proved? that with a great support crew and a lot of stupidity you can wing 70m, anything more requires real dedication and training. i am in awe of all of those who have completed this race.

the drive home was full of laughter and smiles. that's the mark of a truly brilliant support crew. despite the dnf i had a lovely weekend away and maybe, just maybe i might have learned something....

i actually shat myself today

2010-06-14T14:33:00.004+01:00

i was left on my own this weekend. jane was off doing the lamm with jo (who i met at the hpm). i was to stay at home, rest and prepare for 'the race that dare not speak its name'. they were running in c class and by all accounts had a fabulous weekend, with 3 munros and just a few midge bites.

i've been in bed since saturday night with gut ache and explosive diarrhea. i'm starting to feel much better today, and have even managed an oat cake, half a bowl of soup and a bottle of nuun.

i was in the toilet earlier and thought i'd 'finished'. stood up and to my surprise, my ass wasn't at all finished. and to make things worse i then put my foot in it. at least we have a tiled floor.

cheeeers!

2010-06-06T22:23:00.005+01:00

a good news week.

jane has a new job. i got accepted into my first choice of university. this time next year we'll be nearer grit stone and peaty hills. exciting times ahead.

all topped off with a visit from vikki. she came on the pretense of singletrack but the real reason was whw planning. not that we talk about that race in this house.

only 12 days to go....

37.5 hrs

2010-05-31T20:53:00.003+01:00

just finished 3 consecutive long shifts. in previous jobs i'd be complaining about the workhouse and the life sapping hours spent there, particularly when the weather's been so fine. but, i'm one of the luck ones. i actually like my job.

a bleep requesting an urgent ecg. normally everything is 'urgent', but this time the staff mean it. a patient is having extreme difficulty in breathing. the whites of her eyes bugling, she stares wildly at me as i walk through the curtains. iv access is of greater importance and anyway, she's not sitting still enough for a meaningful ecg.

no time for the usual ritual, opening up packets and searching for the best vein. skin cleaned, i look straight at her, unsure if she can tell what's going on, i still explain that i'm about to stick a needle in her arm. she's really gasping for air, shoulders heaving up and down. i pin her arm down on the side of the bed, conscious of how rough this must seem. i look up, the three staff nurses are now joined by the sho. nothing like a bit of pressure.

needle on skin, pushing through dermis, waiting for the back-flash of blood in the barrel. it comes. advance the cannula, withdraw the needle, take bloods at the same time and bung the end. the lady doesn't even seem to notice. her skin is so clammy the dressing wont stick. a bandage quickly applied.

fluid and pain relief flow. oxygen and nebs being blasted into her face. she's still wide eyed. return to the ecg. the bio tabs aren't sticking, again she's too sweaty. nurses help dry her skin, i place the tabs, one on each limb and six across her chest. my hands moving quickly and being careful not to cause a tangle of leads and tubes.

no one is speaking. her heart rate is spiking at 210, breathing still shallow and rapid. her whole body shuddering for air. the screen reading is pointless, there's too much interference, with each gasp the leads pick up limb movement. the nurses try and hold her arms still, pressing the tabs on to her damp, cold arms. i attempt reassure her, "your heart rate's coming down (it was but not significantly), we're just having trouble getting a reading because you're moving so much. but don't worry, it's important you keep breathing..." i can't believe i just said that and with a smile too. fortunately she understands, she gives a little nod. the tension in the cubical is released.

just my small role in the care of one of our more poorly patients. by the end of my shift, she was breathing on her own. not everything is as urgent but it's no less satisfying. i get to go home feeling like i've made a difference.

.....granddad is doing well and making massive improvements with his walking and is now in a rehab unit. he's had a few set backs though, due to a nasty uti. his confusion has been upsetting grandma but hopefully this will pass. my two days down there last week, felt harder than any shift at work.

paddy buckley round-a supporters view

2010-05-24T20:00:00.002+01:00

23 hours and 43 minutes is what it took simon to complete the paddy buckley round, 61 miles with 28000' ascent. but this fact alone doesn't even scratch the surface of the true story. a year of total dedication, a winter of long runs and an absolute resolve to get round in under 24 hours.

starting at 6pm on friday, he leaves aberglaslyn with jon and ant. we went to the pub. it was hot, thirsty work waiting around for them. back to the roadside and team O-P swung into action. already an hour up on schedule, but i think this was kinda the plan.

he heads of into the dark with gareth. just the small matter of snowdon in between him and the next pot noodle. anxious that more time might be gained paul and i are waiting in llanberis from 0115. well, you never know. night running is not a spectators sport but the sense of anticipation and excitement is getting to me. am i jealous? anyway....

they arrive. simon still looking fresh but unable to eat. it's hot and it's only 0230. tea and crisps forced down. paul leads him up into the deserted mines and i take gareth back to the campsite. still up on schedule.

the next roadside crossing and support happens whilst i'm still asleep. but team O-P, gaynor, ant, jon and some bagpipes were all around the ogwen area from about 0530. and it's starting to get hotter....

1030 and gaynor comes storming up the road, "tea and soup, tea and soup". once again the roadside crew start simultaneously, boiling and cooling water. somehow simon manages to change shoes, have blisters burst, drink a mug of tea, spoon warm broth and change into shorts all at the same time.

simon's not looking quite as fresh, in fact, everyone's looking a bit pink and sweaty. on the final leg it's me, shane and jon-but no bagpipes. there's absolutely no wind and not a cloud in the sky. a steady pace up moel siabod and a cracking run down.

then things start to get a bit sketchy. jon is fantastic and steps up to the job of navigator. we just try and keep moving and every so often force a gel on simon. the summits are indistinct rocky outcrops surrounded by bog. the bog is sapping energy and time. quite a bit of time actually.

slowly doubt crept into simon's mind. he's blown it, there's no hope of a sub 24 any more. despite jon's calculations, simon became convinced and personally i thought he might be right. just get to the quarries. jane and gareth are there waiting with more food and water. in fact they would spend a good 5 hours up there. yup, things weren't looking good.

eventually the moelwyns come into view. blimey, that took a lot longer than i thought, almost an hour longer.... a speedy refill and we're off on a 'quick' loop of the three summits. simon seems almost resigned to the fact that time is slipping away. and there's still a few hills to go.

my legs had starting to cramp. i couldn't believe how strong simon seemed in comparison. i miss craig ysgan and head straight up moelwyn mawr. jon and shane are going well and keeping the pace going. i take few motivational phone calls from simon's wife. she says, we have to be tough with him, keep him going, he needs to get in under 24hr. message passed on.

another flying descent but this time no stopping. filling up as we pass jane and gareth. it's still on but it's going to be very close. climbing cnict i stick with simon. i can't imagine where he's getting his strength from. but he seems to be gaining seconds with every step. he's starting to believe in himself again. it was bloody amazing watching that transformation. final summit reached soon after 1700.

from the top it's all i can do to hang on. jon and shane literally tear down the hillside, simon hot on their heals. i keep them in sight out of shear survial, not knowing the final few miles!! it was an awesome performance and totally humbling to witness.

simon showed such strength of character, a true determination to succeed. when it got tough, it then got a bit tougher, and a little bit tougher and he just got on with the job in hand. he didn't once talk of stopping, just slowing. somehow he turned it around whilst ascending a scree slop to the top of cnict.

well and truly inspired.

booooze

2010-05-19T10:05:00.003+01:00

being such a highly trained athlete i obviously would not spend the weekend getting absolutely wasted. and nor would i stay indoors, hiding from bright lights and needing to remain very still-in case any movement made me vomit.....oh, wait a minute...

in the interests of science and fun, i urge people to try sipping this after watching this. good times.