The year's first post-winter trip onto the Lakeland fells always brings a sense of excitement but this year our plans for an early BG attempt meant jumping in at the deep end with an additional sense of trepidation. The plan was to meet for a steady leg 3 (Dunmail to Wasdale) on Saturday followed by a consolidatory leg 1 (Keswick to Threlkeld) on Sunday morning.
For me, Lakeland weekends always follow a similar pattern - half pack into the early morning on Thursday night; followed by a panic 'stuff everything in' pack before work on Friday; work a stressful day trying to get everything sorted to leave 'a little bit early' and then nod-off on the Guildford-Waterloo train almost immediately as it leaves the station at 1753.
By the time I've battled my way through the commuters on the tube and got to Euston, I've usually woken up again and can now chill out on the long slog up the West Coast Main Line and think about the weekend ahead. This weekend, Duncan, Rob, Jonny and myself would travel up on the train; meet Mark and Lucy in Keswick and then meet Andy bright and early on Saturday.
I'm convinced that leg 3 is the toughest leg on the whole of the Bob Graham. It's long with a couple of steep climbs, some bits that seem to drag on forever and a decent section of boulder strewn terrain around the Scafell Pikes. And of course, no matter which way you go round 'the round', Leg 3 is always going to hit after a tiresome 8 or so hours. Last year I decided to drop out at Dunmail without even venturing onto the hill for the start of this leg. Maybe this was the fear of an unfamiliar section of the BG having only recce'd the whole leg once (and that was after starting in Threlkeld at 2300 on a Friday night with full camping gear)?
Therefore, the opportunity to recce leg 3 at a slightly more relaxed pace, in good weather and on a full nights sleep was to be relished. We decided to omit the early Langdale Pikes and instead, head up from Borrowdale and commence our day on Rossett Pike. Despite concerns that the weather could turn nasty, the early part of the day was glorious and we made good progress. Picking off Esk Pike, Great End, Ill Crag and Broad Crag in the clear light of day seemed a breeze compared to the claggy early morning of our 2011 recce.
Following a similarly easy ascent and descent of Scafell Pike, we dropped into Mickledore for one of the main focal points of the day - how to get up to Sca Fell? There are three main options: (1) Broad Stand - a short but relatively exposed climb up a vertical slab of rock (2) Lord's Rake - a steep gully containing a loose river of scree, plus a gargantuan boulder sat precariously at the top (3) Foxes Tarn - a relatively safe but ultimately time consuming drop and route round the buttress in which Broad Stand sits.
Having already experienced the merits (or rather, demerits) of the Foxes Tarn route, I intended to look closely at the other options. Andy and Duncan, the most experienced climbers among our group, went straight for Broad Stand. Whilst they got up with relative ease, I found the slow manoeuvres and exposed nature of the climb to be unsettling and decided there and then that I'd rather investigate Lord's Rake this time round. The thought of a slightly tricky climb 12 hours or so into a Bob Graham just didn't appeal.
On arrival at Lord's Rake, the infamous car-sized boulder sat silently waiting, ready to fall, did make me think twice about my route choice. Whilst I slowly progressed up the slow flow of the scree, the boulder continued to grow in size and presence. I had a constant thought whilst trapped in the confines of the gully - "There's no chance of avoiding that bugger if it goes". Creeping underneath it at the top was a huge relief.
Upon further inspection of it's resting place, I concluded that I was worrying way too much and that the chances of it going anytime soon are fairly slim. Even then, I suspect it'll be a winter and wet weather event and I don't plan to be around in those conditions.
The top of Sca Fell was still some way off, but a steady few minutes up an unnecessary extra-gully brought me to the top to join the others. It was still warm enough for a basic single layer and we took the opportunity for a quick food break. Despite the temperatures, a very light snow shower came in and peppered the rocks with tiny snow flakes - it was an inspiring scene.
After a steady descent into Wasdale we decided to take the opportunity to pick off some of leg 4 on the way back to Borrowdale. My earlier sprightly pace cost me a bit on the climb towards Great Gable and I decide to skirt round the peaks and make my own way back into Borrowdale. The weather came in slightly and made the final drop into Borrowdale tricky but I made good time and waited for the other guys to return from Green Gable.
A decent 6 hr day on the hills with good friends, followed by a curry and a couple of beers. Why can't all Saturdays be like this one?
Sunday arrived, the sun was out and the skies were clear - another glorious day to be out on the Lakeland fells. The top of Skiddaw was cloud free and we could see a small topping of snow. I've become very familiar with the ascent of Skiddaw, and most of leg 1, following numerous recces and the odd race/event held in 'Back o' Skiddaw' territory. Still, this was the first time Jonny had been up and we were keen to get the trods right.
The thin and crispy snow, blue skies and rolling clouds gave the top an alpine feel. An effect rarely felt this low down. There was also plenty of snow on the shoulder running towards Great Calva and this made the run down more exciting that usual.
I can usually keep a good pace on the downhills and the slippery nature of the trod meant that I pulled a significant gap on Duncan and Jonny who were to join me on the rest of leg 1. Sore legs from Saturday's exertions didn't hinder my progress much. Not that this mattered as I knew they'd pull the time back pretty quickly on the climb up to Great Calva. We were steady on both the up and down of Great Clava and again on the slog up to the top of Blencathra, the third and final peak of leg 1.
From the top of Blencathra down to Threkeld has always been an easy decision for me - Hall's Fell. The step, technical, rocky descent is quite slow in places but it gradually gets easier and to be honest, is pretty good fun!! However, it's not to everyone's tastes and there is an alternative route to Threlkeld via Doddick Fell.
Although it meant missing another fun run down Hall's Fell, Duncan and I took the opportunity to recce Doddick as an alternative. It's a little out of the way and clearly longer but there's only a few patches of arete and the majority of the ridge is runnable. Jonny took Hall's Fell and arrived at the bottom a couple of minutes after us but I suspect sore legs and lack of peer pressure contributed heavily to the result. My conclusion was that it would be a welcome alternative in tough conditions and by tough I mean snow, ice, gale force winds!!
Having 30+ miles of tough mountain running in our legs, we'd be forgiven for a slow jog back to Keswick but on a high from an excellent couple of days, we kept a respectable pace and made good time. The legs were sore, no doubt about that, but I knew this first real hill session would be worth it in the coming months.
Come Monday the DOMS had started to settle in. The walk to and from work was pretty bad. On Tuesday the situation was even worse and I started to regret the rapid descents. I'd booked a sports massage on Wednesday, thinking that I'd be about ready for one but the quads were certainly off limits. Not great preparation for the Barcelona Marathon that I was due to run the following Sunday!!
Easing down or tapering for a marathon is often recommended, but I hadn't intended to have the whole week off in pain! Still, the rest was good and come Friday the soreness had eased. By Saturday I was able to manage a short jog /dress rehearsal and a couple of nights in compression tights had done wonders. A light meal out on Las Ramblas on Saturday evening and I was ready to go.
I knew the prep was less than ideal but I was quite surprised how heavy the legs felt during the first 1km. I'd decided to go for a 3hr pace and had already dropped off the pace in the first K. Panic set in and I put my foot down, even though the legs felt lifeless. This set off a whole host of events as I demonstrated how not to run a marathon. I slowed to what felt like a snail's pace during the latter half of the race and was quite amazed to finally reach the finish in 2:59:04 - on target, albeit with a huge negative split. I was happy with reaching the target and banishing the daemons of the sub-3 marathon but most importantly to me, I know I can go a lot quicker. I've just got to wait for a year when mountain running isn't the priority!
For me, Lakeland weekends always follow a similar pattern - half pack into the early morning on Thursday night; followed by a panic 'stuff everything in' pack before work on Friday; work a stressful day trying to get everything sorted to leave 'a little bit early' and then nod-off on the Guildford-Waterloo train almost immediately as it leaves the station at 1753.
By the time I've battled my way through the commuters on the tube and got to Euston, I've usually woken up again and can now chill out on the long slog up the West Coast Main Line and think about the weekend ahead. This weekend, Duncan, Rob, Jonny and myself would travel up on the train; meet Mark and Lucy in Keswick and then meet Andy bright and early on Saturday.
I'm convinced that leg 3 is the toughest leg on the whole of the Bob Graham. It's long with a couple of steep climbs, some bits that seem to drag on forever and a decent section of boulder strewn terrain around the Scafell Pikes. And of course, no matter which way you go round 'the round', Leg 3 is always going to hit after a tiresome 8 or so hours. Last year I decided to drop out at Dunmail without even venturing onto the hill for the start of this leg. Maybe this was the fear of an unfamiliar section of the BG having only recce'd the whole leg once (and that was after starting in Threlkeld at 2300 on a Friday night with full camping gear)?
Therefore, the opportunity to recce leg 3 at a slightly more relaxed pace, in good weather and on a full nights sleep was to be relished. We decided to omit the early Langdale Pikes and instead, head up from Borrowdale and commence our day on Rossett Pike. Despite concerns that the weather could turn nasty, the early part of the day was glorious and we made good progress. Picking off Esk Pike, Great End, Ill Crag and Broad Crag in the clear light of day seemed a breeze compared to the claggy early morning of our 2011 recce.
Following a similarly easy ascent and descent of Scafell Pike, we dropped into Mickledore for one of the main focal points of the day - how to get up to Sca Fell? There are three main options: (1) Broad Stand - a short but relatively exposed climb up a vertical slab of rock (2) Lord's Rake - a steep gully containing a loose river of scree, plus a gargantuan boulder sat precariously at the top (3) Foxes Tarn - a relatively safe but ultimately time consuming drop and route round the buttress in which Broad Stand sits.
Having already experienced the merits (or rather, demerits) of the Foxes Tarn route, I intended to look closely at the other options. Andy and Duncan, the most experienced climbers among our group, went straight for Broad Stand. Whilst they got up with relative ease, I found the slow manoeuvres and exposed nature of the climb to be unsettling and decided there and then that I'd rather investigate Lord's Rake this time round. The thought of a slightly tricky climb 12 hours or so into a Bob Graham just didn't appeal.
On arrival at Lord's Rake, the infamous car-sized boulder sat silently waiting, ready to fall, did make me think twice about my route choice. Whilst I slowly progressed up the slow flow of the scree, the boulder continued to grow in size and presence. I had a constant thought whilst trapped in the confines of the gully - "There's no chance of avoiding that bugger if it goes". Creeping underneath it at the top was a huge relief.
Upon further inspection of it's resting place, I concluded that I was worrying way too much and that the chances of it going anytime soon are fairly slim. Even then, I suspect it'll be a winter and wet weather event and I don't plan to be around in those conditions.
The top of Sca Fell was still some way off, but a steady few minutes up an unnecessary extra-gully brought me to the top to join the others. It was still warm enough for a basic single layer and we took the opportunity for a quick food break. Despite the temperatures, a very light snow shower came in and peppered the rocks with tiny snow flakes - it was an inspiring scene.
After a steady descent into Wasdale we decided to take the opportunity to pick off some of leg 4 on the way back to Borrowdale. My earlier sprightly pace cost me a bit on the climb towards Great Gable and I decide to skirt round the peaks and make my own way back into Borrowdale. The weather came in slightly and made the final drop into Borrowdale tricky but I made good time and waited for the other guys to return from Green Gable.
A decent 6 hr day on the hills with good friends, followed by a curry and a couple of beers. Why can't all Saturdays be like this one?
Sunday arrived, the sun was out and the skies were clear - another glorious day to be out on the Lakeland fells. The top of Skiddaw was cloud free and we could see a small topping of snow. I've become very familiar with the ascent of Skiddaw, and most of leg 1, following numerous recces and the odd race/event held in 'Back o' Skiddaw' territory. Still, this was the first time Jonny had been up and we were keen to get the trods right.
The thin and crispy snow, blue skies and rolling clouds gave the top an alpine feel. An effect rarely felt this low down. There was also plenty of snow on the shoulder running towards Great Calva and this made the run down more exciting that usual.
I can usually keep a good pace on the downhills and the slippery nature of the trod meant that I pulled a significant gap on Duncan and Jonny who were to join me on the rest of leg 1. Sore legs from Saturday's exertions didn't hinder my progress much. Not that this mattered as I knew they'd pull the time back pretty quickly on the climb up to Great Calva. We were steady on both the up and down of Great Clava and again on the slog up to the top of Blencathra, the third and final peak of leg 1.
From the top of Blencathra down to Threkeld has always been an easy decision for me - Hall's Fell. The step, technical, rocky descent is quite slow in places but it gradually gets easier and to be honest, is pretty good fun!! However, it's not to everyone's tastes and there is an alternative route to Threlkeld via Doddick Fell.
Although it meant missing another fun run down Hall's Fell, Duncan and I took the opportunity to recce Doddick as an alternative. It's a little out of the way and clearly longer but there's only a few patches of arete and the majority of the ridge is runnable. Jonny took Hall's Fell and arrived at the bottom a couple of minutes after us but I suspect sore legs and lack of peer pressure contributed heavily to the result. My conclusion was that it would be a welcome alternative in tough conditions and by tough I mean snow, ice, gale force winds!!
Having 30+ miles of tough mountain running in our legs, we'd be forgiven for a slow jog back to Keswick but on a high from an excellent couple of days, we kept a respectable pace and made good time. The legs were sore, no doubt about that, but I knew this first real hill session would be worth it in the coming months.
Come Monday the DOMS had started to settle in. The walk to and from work was pretty bad. On Tuesday the situation was even worse and I started to regret the rapid descents. I'd booked a sports massage on Wednesday, thinking that I'd be about ready for one but the quads were certainly off limits. Not great preparation for the Barcelona Marathon that I was due to run the following Sunday!!
Easing down or tapering for a marathon is often recommended, but I hadn't intended to have the whole week off in pain! Still, the rest was good and come Friday the soreness had eased. By Saturday I was able to manage a short jog /dress rehearsal and a couple of nights in compression tights had done wonders. A light meal out on Las Ramblas on Saturday evening and I was ready to go.
I knew the prep was less than ideal but I was quite surprised how heavy the legs felt during the first 1km. I'd decided to go for a 3hr pace and had already dropped off the pace in the first K. Panic set in and I put my foot down, even though the legs felt lifeless. This set off a whole host of events as I demonstrated how not to run a marathon. I slowed to what felt like a snail's pace during the latter half of the race and was quite amazed to finally reach the finish in 2:59:04 - on target, albeit with a huge negative split. I was happy with reaching the target and banishing the daemons of the sub-3 marathon but most importantly to me, I know I can go a lot quicker. I've just got to wait for a year when mountain running isn't the priority!
