These were my actual times for the round. I was aiming for the standard 23 and a half hour round and for comparison the various splits are readily available on the web. (See the Bob Wightman link on this blog)
The first time given is that for each section and the second time is the time (BST) that I arrived at each location.
Wightplodder Bob Graham Round
Date 25th May 2008
Sunrise:4.47 Sunset:21.12
Start time 01:00
Schedule time 23:32
Actual Time 23:15
Stage hh:mm BST Time
START - MOOT HALL 01:00
SKIDDAW 1:12 02:12
GREAT CALVA 0:47 02:59
BLENCATHRA 1:03 04:02
THRELKELD (Arr) 0:33 04:34
Stage time 3:35
THRELKELD (Rest / Dep) 0:07 04:41
CLOUGH HEAD 0:46 05:27
GREAT DODD 0:28 05:54
WATSON'S DODD 0:09 06:03
STYBARROW DODD 0:10 06:13
RAISE 0:15 06:29
WHITE SIDE 0:07 06:36
HELVELLYN LOW MAN 0:13 06:49
HELVELLYN 0:06 06:55
NETHERMOST PIKE 0:09 07:05
DOLLYWAGON PIKE 0:12 07:17
FAIRFIELD 0:37 07:54
SEAT SANDAL 0:23 08:17
DUNMAIL (Arr) 0:18 08:34
Stage time 4:01
DUNMAIL (Rest / Dep) 0:11 08:45
STEEL FELL 0:24 09:07
CALF CRAG 0:21 09:30
SERGEANT MAN 0:34 10:04
HIGH RAISE 0:10 10:13
THUNACAR KNOTT 0:15 10:28
HARRISON STICKLE 0:10 10:38
PIKE O'STICKLE 0:14 10:52
ROSSET PIKE 0:46 11:38
BOWFELL 0:36 12:14
ESK PIKE 0:24 12:38
GREAT END 0:23 13:01
ILL CRAG 0:14 13:16
BROAD CRAG 0:11 13:28
SCAFELL PIKE 0:15 13:41
SCAFELL 0:35 14:16
WASDALE (Arr) 0:47 15:04
Stage time 6:30
WASDALE (Rest / Dep) 0:17 15:20
YEWBARROW 0:48 16:09
RED PIKE 0:50 16:59
STEEPLE 0:21 17:20
PILLAR 0:35 17:54
KIRK FELL 0:56 18:50
GREAT GABLE 0:42 19:32
GREEN GABLE 0:18 19:50
BRANDRETH 0:17 20:08
GREY KNOTTS 0:10 20:18
HONISTER (Arr) 0:22 20:40
Stage time 5:36
HONISTER (Rest / Dep) 0:08 20:48
DALE HEAD 0:34 21:22
HINDSCARTH 0:20 21:42
ROBINSON 0:29 22:11
L/H SNAB FARM (Arr) 0:58 23:09
SNAB FARM (Change/ Dep) 0:05 23:14
MOOT HALL KESWICK 1:01 0:15
Stage time 3:35
Total time 23:15
Wednesday 28 May 2008
Kit List
This is a bit sad but I always found it interesting to know what kit people were using although it is a very individual thing.
I wanted to keep to the absolute minimum of weight but still be safe and have everything I needed. I tested myself and fully laden I was about 4 minutes per hour slower than I was without the kit. (About 1 and a half hours in 24 hours)
My pack weighed 3 kg and contained the following:
Black Diamond Flash rucksack 230g Possibly a bit flimsy for fell running it is the lightest pack I could find and it worked for me. It was comfy, could take all I needed and cost about £30. Highly recommended if you are on your own. I saved it for the Lakes and on most of my practice runs I used a heavier but stronger Berghaus 'Bladdered' which was about 500g. I also had a small hydration pack from Tesco which was £10 including a 1.5 litre bladder and only weighed about 400g. This was a good 1st reserve if needed. They could all hold about 10 - 12 litres of volume.
Platypus hoser 2L water bladder 120g: I had several for practice runs but I felt the lightest and best was this one. It did need to be replaced after a few months use but it sealed reliably. I had a camelback which was good but heavier and my Tesco one kept breaking and leaking at the screw cap.
I tried drinking bottles but felt I lost time faffing around with them and taking them in and out of the rucksack and that they were less comfortable to run with. This is the only piece of kit where I went for something slightly heavier because I thought it would save time in the long run.
Water: 2L 2000g Obviously as each leg progressed this weight decreased. On the third leg it went too quickly and I was looking for water on the run but for the rest it was fine along with what I drank during the rests.
Waterproof - Haglof Oz Pullover 175g This was an unbeleivably light and effective piece of kit - the lightest I could find. I saved it for Lakeland runs and the event itself as it is understandibly slightly flimsy. It is very expensive - over £100 but I thought it was well worth it.
Windproof: Montane Jetstream pertex Jacket 85g £45 This was another star item and I wore it all the time on the day. It makes a huge difference when the wind is blowing and weighs next to nothing. I kept it for best and had a pertex quantum jacket (bit heavier 100g and flappier in the wind) which I picked up in a sale for £10 and I wore on most of my runs.
Gloves 25g Just lightweight microfibre ones although when practicing in the snow earlier in the year I used heavier windproof ones.
Berghaus micro fibre hat 30g This was fine and there are lots of lightweight hat options.
Whistle 25g
Compass 10g
Map 50g I used the Harvey mountain map and (very sad) cut it to include only the BG route. It is 1/40,000 scale and is waterproof. On the day I didnt look at it once as I knew the route. On the practice runs and at home I used the bigger Harvey mountain maps as they had slightly more detail.
Money, Credit card,route card,pencil 35g I wanted all these items. The route card was written on waterproof paper which was the back of a number from a road race I had been in.
It is quite hard to cut to size but very hard wearing and survived several good soakings in practice.
Mobile Phone 60g I bought a lightweight cheapo one for £10
Headtorch 75g I had a Petzl LED one but had one from B&Q for £10 as a reserve and it seemed pretty good too.
Glasses 10g Needed for reading I got a cheap plastic pair £10
Loo roll a few sheets just in case!
Food 300g A mixture of stuff each leg that I thought would keep me going. Obviously very personal but this seemed to me to be about the right amount of calories to go with what I was having during the breaks. I included some savoury salty snacks - cheezy biscuity things. I tried to keep away from too much sugar and chocolate but carried some of that with flapjack, fig roll etc.
All this adds up to about 3,250g but most of the time I was wearing some of it and at the end of each leg the weight was considerably less when the water had been drunk. Of course each leg starts with a big climb and I always had the pleasure of a full pack for that!
I ran in Walsh pb trainers, synthetic socks from Decathlon, synthetic pants and Ron Hill tracksters. On top I had a running t shirt and a capilene long sleeve thermal shirt over the top of it. I tend to be on the cold side so I usually wore clothes from my pack too.
I didnt take a survival bag and maybe I should have done - I just made the decision that what I had would have to be enough.
On my wrist I wore a luxury item - A suunto Observer watch. I found it a wonderful piece of kit and stored all my split times on the stop watch, used the compass as a quick reference, stored altimeter readings at the summits and used the readings to help with navigation. It also had an alarm which woke me before I had to set off.
I wanted to keep to the absolute minimum of weight but still be safe and have everything I needed. I tested myself and fully laden I was about 4 minutes per hour slower than I was without the kit. (About 1 and a half hours in 24 hours)
My pack weighed 3 kg and contained the following:
Black Diamond Flash rucksack 230g Possibly a bit flimsy for fell running it is the lightest pack I could find and it worked for me. It was comfy, could take all I needed and cost about £30. Highly recommended if you are on your own. I saved it for the Lakes and on most of my practice runs I used a heavier but stronger Berghaus 'Bladdered' which was about 500g. I also had a small hydration pack from Tesco which was £10 including a 1.5 litre bladder and only weighed about 400g. This was a good 1st reserve if needed. They could all hold about 10 - 12 litres of volume.
Platypus hoser 2L water bladder 120g: I had several for practice runs but I felt the lightest and best was this one. It did need to be replaced after a few months use but it sealed reliably. I had a camelback which was good but heavier and my Tesco one kept breaking and leaking at the screw cap.
I tried drinking bottles but felt I lost time faffing around with them and taking them in and out of the rucksack and that they were less comfortable to run with. This is the only piece of kit where I went for something slightly heavier because I thought it would save time in the long run.
Water: 2L 2000g Obviously as each leg progressed this weight decreased. On the third leg it went too quickly and I was looking for water on the run but for the rest it was fine along with what I drank during the rests.
Waterproof - Haglof Oz Pullover 175g This was an unbeleivably light and effective piece of kit - the lightest I could find. I saved it for Lakeland runs and the event itself as it is understandibly slightly flimsy. It is very expensive - over £100 but I thought it was well worth it.
Windproof: Montane Jetstream pertex Jacket 85g £45 This was another star item and I wore it all the time on the day. It makes a huge difference when the wind is blowing and weighs next to nothing. I kept it for best and had a pertex quantum jacket (bit heavier 100g and flappier in the wind) which I picked up in a sale for £10 and I wore on most of my runs.
Gloves 25g Just lightweight microfibre ones although when practicing in the snow earlier in the year I used heavier windproof ones.
Berghaus micro fibre hat 30g This was fine and there are lots of lightweight hat options.
Whistle 25g
Compass 10g
Map 50g I used the Harvey mountain map and (very sad) cut it to include only the BG route. It is 1/40,000 scale and is waterproof. On the day I didnt look at it once as I knew the route. On the practice runs and at home I used the bigger Harvey mountain maps as they had slightly more detail.
Money, Credit card,route card,pencil 35g I wanted all these items. The route card was written on waterproof paper which was the back of a number from a road race I had been in.
It is quite hard to cut to size but very hard wearing and survived several good soakings in practice.
Mobile Phone 60g I bought a lightweight cheapo one for £10
Headtorch 75g I had a Petzl LED one but had one from B&Q for £10 as a reserve and it seemed pretty good too.
Glasses 10g Needed for reading I got a cheap plastic pair £10
Loo roll a few sheets just in case!
Food 300g A mixture of stuff each leg that I thought would keep me going. Obviously very personal but this seemed to me to be about the right amount of calories to go with what I was having during the breaks. I included some savoury salty snacks - cheezy biscuity things. I tried to keep away from too much sugar and chocolate but carried some of that with flapjack, fig roll etc.
All this adds up to about 3,250g but most of the time I was wearing some of it and at the end of each leg the weight was considerably less when the water had been drunk. Of course each leg starts with a big climb and I always had the pleasure of a full pack for that!
I ran in Walsh pb trainers, synthetic socks from Decathlon, synthetic pants and Ron Hill tracksters. On top I had a running t shirt and a capilene long sleeve thermal shirt over the top of it. I tend to be on the cold side so I usually wore clothes from my pack too.
I didnt take a survival bag and maybe I should have done - I just made the decision that what I had would have to be enough.
On my wrist I wore a luxury item - A suunto Observer watch. I found it a wonderful piece of kit and stored all my split times on the stop watch, used the compass as a quick reference, stored altimeter readings at the summits and used the readings to help with navigation. It also had an alarm which woke me before I had to set off.
Tuesday 27 May 2008
Success! Completed Bob Graham Round in 23 hours and 15 minutes
I have done it. At 0015 on Monday I arrived back at the Moot Hall after a wonderful and very testing day out on the fells and having completed the Bob Graham Round.
I am not sure it has really sunk in - even after two nights of dreaming about it but I am really thrilled by the experience and the outcome.
I have been for a gentle bike ride today and the legs are starting to settle down. I have just had a celebratory glass of wine at a friends house in Lancaster where I am writing this blog.
I am still on holiday this week in the Lakes and will post a detailed description of the round when I get back next week but briefly: I was quick (unintentionally) on the first 2 legs and then lost a bit of time on the next 2. On the last leg I was pretty tired and I lost nearly half an hour coming off Robinson before managing a gentle jog/shuffle back to the Moot Hall.
I was not on my own all day as another contender (Patrick from Gloucestershire) started his round at the same time as me and we stayed together until the top of Great Calva and then with one of his pacers up Blencathra.
The second leg I was with John who started at 0015 on an attempt of 51 at 51 and I stayed with him until he turned off to do Pavey Ark after Thunacar Knott on leg 3. I saw him and his crew intermittently until we climbed Yewbarrow but he fell behind going up Red Pike and I didnt see him after that.
I don't think he can have completed unless he overtook me without my seeing him but Patrick came home in a very impressive 21 hours and 51 minutes so congratulations to him. Thanks to both of them and their support teams who gave me great support on the fells and to everyone who helped me at the road crossings.
Full report to follow when I get back next week from what will now be my very relaxing holiday in the Lakes.
I am not sure it has really sunk in - even after two nights of dreaming about it but I am really thrilled by the experience and the outcome.
I have been for a gentle bike ride today and the legs are starting to settle down. I have just had a celebratory glass of wine at a friends house in Lancaster where I am writing this blog.
I am still on holiday this week in the Lakes and will post a detailed description of the round when I get back next week but briefly: I was quick (unintentionally) on the first 2 legs and then lost a bit of time on the next 2. On the last leg I was pretty tired and I lost nearly half an hour coming off Robinson before managing a gentle jog/shuffle back to the Moot Hall.
I was not on my own all day as another contender (Patrick from Gloucestershire) started his round at the same time as me and we stayed together until the top of Great Calva and then with one of his pacers up Blencathra.
The second leg I was with John who started at 0015 on an attempt of 51 at 51 and I stayed with him until he turned off to do Pavey Ark after Thunacar Knott on leg 3. I saw him and his crew intermittently until we climbed Yewbarrow but he fell behind going up Red Pike and I didnt see him after that.
I don't think he can have completed unless he overtook me without my seeing him but Patrick came home in a very impressive 21 hours and 51 minutes so congratulations to him. Thanks to both of them and their support teams who gave me great support on the fells and to everyone who helped me at the road crossings.
Full report to follow when I get back next week from what will now be my very relaxing holiday in the Lakes.
Thursday 22 May 2008
Ready for the off
This project has been going now all this year, I have been thinking about it for over a year and it has been in the background for over ten years.
It is now the eve of my departure for the Lakes (after work tomorrow) and I am filled with a mixture of emotions.
I am excited by the prospect of testing myself properly on the Bob Graham Round and the opportunity to get this thing out of my system. I am looking forward to an absolutely awesome day in the fells and to the sheer magnitude of what is before me. I have grown to love the mountains of Cumbria and the splendour of the scenary of the Lakes. With each visit I have made I have discovered more about this wonderful terrain and grown to like it more and more.
When I started out on this journey I was scared of the heights and cowed by the ruggedness of the land but through practice and training I feel not only at ease but I enjoy being in these wild places.
I am amazed at how my body has adapted to the demands I have made of it. Outings which a year ago would have been possible only with a big effort now seem to be easily within my grasp.
I don't know how much of this is necessary, or how much it is an inevitable part of training but I do know that the nature of the Bob Graham Challenge has changed in my mind.
When I started it seemed to me it was a case of stubbornly keeping going as my body and legs fell apart around me. I thought all I needed was enough determination to keep going for the 24 hours and that would see me through.
In retrospect I am not sure whether I would ever have had that much determination because fundimentally you do have to have a bare minimum of physical capability. Although I was fit I don't think I had enough fell experience for my legs to be able to provide what was being asked of them - they would have reached a point where there really was not enough left in the tank to generate the energy required to get round in 24 hours. If it was a case of simply keeping going until the end of the round regardless of the time taken then I think that would be possible as I am sure that the mind can drive the body on well beyond what would normally be regarded as its limits.
This is why for me it is so important to do this thing in under 24 hours. Although it is a random (ish) time limit - the 24 hour mark does celebrate the inauguration of the round and it defines and lays down the challenge ahead. Without this challenge I would be left with a very pleasant and wonderful walk but no motivation to do it at any pace in particular. It would be easier and in many ways all the pleasanter for the relaxed approach but it would lose one of its dimensions as a challenge.
Having heard of, read about, witnessed and met people who have done this challenge has motivated a competitive side of me to do it myself. There are many things in the world out there that are challenging and spectacular which I would love to do and may be lucky enough to have a go at one day but the Bob Graham some how got under my skin as a challenge that I really wanted to do.
It may stem from my first naiive acquaintances with it. That was a time when I did not really understand the challenge and in some way I committed myself to it psychologically without knowing what was involved. After that stubborness and determination to finish what I had started took over.
Another reason that it became what has been described elsewhere as a 'quiet obsession' may be to do with the fact that it is a challenge so close to my own personal mental and physical limits. Like the sub 3 hour marathon which had taunted me for even longer I felt that it should be possible if I were to be properly prepared. Part of the challenge though was working out exactly what 'properly prepared' was - a very personal thing.
As I write this of course I still don't know if I am yet ready to fully answer this question but I have at least documented my attempt so that any others in a similar position may have the benefit of my experience whatever the result.
As well as the excitement and anticipation there is some fear. I am afraid of the huge effort that will be involved, I am afraid of spending 24 hours on the fells on my own, I am afraid of the natural dangers of the remote mountains and above all perhaps I am afraid of failure. I think this can be used positively as it can be very motivating and it is a natural emotion.
It has been said that to even consider the possibility of failure is a guarantee of it happening and although I do not accept this it may be true.
I call it realism and believe that I have done the preparation for a successful round but that there is always an element of uncertainty. What I am certain about though is that I shall be giving everything I possibly can to lead to a sub 24 hour round and I will be helped by the many people who have sent me their best wishes for the day.
This week I have really rested. I did a 1 hour gentle run on Tuesday night and I did a 20 minute gentle jog tonight This is extreme tapering and it makes you feel terrible - the body justs rebels at the inactivity but I am hoping the rest will mean that my muscles and physiology are in tip top condition on Sunday.
I am not back for over a week now but I shall update this Blog as soon as I can!
It is now the eve of my departure for the Lakes (after work tomorrow) and I am filled with a mixture of emotions.
I am excited by the prospect of testing myself properly on the Bob Graham Round and the opportunity to get this thing out of my system. I am looking forward to an absolutely awesome day in the fells and to the sheer magnitude of what is before me. I have grown to love the mountains of Cumbria and the splendour of the scenary of the Lakes. With each visit I have made I have discovered more about this wonderful terrain and grown to like it more and more.
When I started out on this journey I was scared of the heights and cowed by the ruggedness of the land but through practice and training I feel not only at ease but I enjoy being in these wild places.
I am amazed at how my body has adapted to the demands I have made of it. Outings which a year ago would have been possible only with a big effort now seem to be easily within my grasp.
I don't know how much of this is necessary, or how much it is an inevitable part of training but I do know that the nature of the Bob Graham Challenge has changed in my mind.
When I started it seemed to me it was a case of stubbornly keeping going as my body and legs fell apart around me. I thought all I needed was enough determination to keep going for the 24 hours and that would see me through.
In retrospect I am not sure whether I would ever have had that much determination because fundimentally you do have to have a bare minimum of physical capability. Although I was fit I don't think I had enough fell experience for my legs to be able to provide what was being asked of them - they would have reached a point where there really was not enough left in the tank to generate the energy required to get round in 24 hours. If it was a case of simply keeping going until the end of the round regardless of the time taken then I think that would be possible as I am sure that the mind can drive the body on well beyond what would normally be regarded as its limits.
This is why for me it is so important to do this thing in under 24 hours. Although it is a random (ish) time limit - the 24 hour mark does celebrate the inauguration of the round and it defines and lays down the challenge ahead. Without this challenge I would be left with a very pleasant and wonderful walk but no motivation to do it at any pace in particular. It would be easier and in many ways all the pleasanter for the relaxed approach but it would lose one of its dimensions as a challenge.
Having heard of, read about, witnessed and met people who have done this challenge has motivated a competitive side of me to do it myself. There are many things in the world out there that are challenging and spectacular which I would love to do and may be lucky enough to have a go at one day but the Bob Graham some how got under my skin as a challenge that I really wanted to do.
It may stem from my first naiive acquaintances with it. That was a time when I did not really understand the challenge and in some way I committed myself to it psychologically without knowing what was involved. After that stubborness and determination to finish what I had started took over.
Another reason that it became what has been described elsewhere as a 'quiet obsession' may be to do with the fact that it is a challenge so close to my own personal mental and physical limits. Like the sub 3 hour marathon which had taunted me for even longer I felt that it should be possible if I were to be properly prepared. Part of the challenge though was working out exactly what 'properly prepared' was - a very personal thing.
As I write this of course I still don't know if I am yet ready to fully answer this question but I have at least documented my attempt so that any others in a similar position may have the benefit of my experience whatever the result.
As well as the excitement and anticipation there is some fear. I am afraid of the huge effort that will be involved, I am afraid of spending 24 hours on the fells on my own, I am afraid of the natural dangers of the remote mountains and above all perhaps I am afraid of failure. I think this can be used positively as it can be very motivating and it is a natural emotion.
It has been said that to even consider the possibility of failure is a guarantee of it happening and although I do not accept this it may be true.
I call it realism and believe that I have done the preparation for a successful round but that there is always an element of uncertainty. What I am certain about though is that I shall be giving everything I possibly can to lead to a sub 24 hour round and I will be helped by the many people who have sent me their best wishes for the day.
This week I have really rested. I did a 1 hour gentle run on Tuesday night and I did a 20 minute gentle jog tonight This is extreme tapering and it makes you feel terrible - the body justs rebels at the inactivity but I am hoping the rest will mean that my muscles and physiology are in tip top condition on Sunday.
I am not back for over a week now but I shall update this Blog as soon as I can!
Sunday 18 May 2008
New plan and tapering for the big day
Having got back from the Lakes at the beginning of May I had mixed feelings. I was very pleased with how well I had been going when I did 3 legs of the BGR in one day and felt that there was more in the tank. I was disappointed not to be able to finish the other 2 sections at the end of the weekend and that I finished the weekend with a nasty tummy bug and feeling pretty knackered.
I had 3 days rest though and then went for a trial run to test myself. Although I still didn't feel 100% I ended up doing the best (only by a few seconds) run I had done over 6 laps of my 3 mile hilly course getting in just under 3 hours. This was a further confidence booster that I took as a good omen and decided that I would do a standard week of training and follow this by 2 weeks of tapering.
I now had brought my Bob Graham Round date forward by 3 weeks to 25th May 2008.
Since taking the decision I have felt really excited and good about the commitment and the fact that after a long time of waiting I am going to get a really good go at the challenge.
I have a whole week off on holiday that week and originally had planned to walk part of the south west peninsula coast path with a friend and would have treated that as a start to my tapering phase. Unfortunately due to work commitments my friend was unable to make it and so then I had planned to do some gentle walking in the Lake District instead.
When I felt so good at my last visit to the Lakes I felt that my fitness was unlikely to improve substantially with 2 or 3 extra weeks training and that I was as ready as I needed to be. To continue to push with more training would just invite the possibility of injury.
I think a large part of success in the BGR is about things beyond training and pure fitness. Whilst I might have got better familiarity with the route from an extra weeks reccying - motivation and mental toughness coupled with weather conditions, avoiding injury and ill health, and staying well hydrated and properly nourished on the day are all more important in terms of a successful outcome. As I now have a few days in which to select the best conditions I hope that I am able to optomise all these factors.
In short - I am ready.
I am watching the weather forecasts avidly hoping that conditons will be suitable on the 25th. Ideal would be overcast and cool with good visibility, little wind and no rain. A slowly building but not fully stablished high pressure area would do nicely - typical end of May conditions but we all know how unpredictable the Lakes weather can be.
Am I fully commited as advocated in Richard Askwith's excellent 'Feet in the Clouds'?
I am in some ways - when I get on the fells I will give it my all although I will still have one eye on safety. Before I get to the fells though I will stay flexible. So if there is a storm forecast I shall be waiting for a better opportunity - this is an advantage of a self contained attempt.
I think that I am nearly resigned to the fact that I will not be eligible to join the Bob Graham Club. It is possible that a group may start at the exact same time as I do but the chances of this happening are fairly remote and even if they did, they might not want me tagging along or we would most likely be travelling at different speeds.
I am a bit sad about this as I think it would be a wonderful club to be a member of and it undoubtedly contains some amazing characters.
The main aim though is for me to complete my Bob Graham Round successfully after all this time and effort.
Week 19 5-11/5/08
Monday Rest (ill)
Tuesday Rest
Wednesday Rest
Thursday 18 miles x6 250m hill circuits 2 hrs 59 mins 1500m ascent
Friday 6 miles x2 250m hill circuits 59 mins 500m ascent
Saturday 12 miles x4 250m hill circuits 2 hrs 4 mins 1000m ascent
Sunday Alton 10 mile road race hilly 71.26 ?400m ascent
Total 4 runs, 46 miles, 3400m 10,940 feet ascent
Week 20 12-17/5/08
Monday 18 miles x6 250m hill circuits 3 hrs 24 mins 1500m ascent
Tuesday Rest
Wednesday Rest
Thursday 6 miles x6 65m hills 68.30 475m ascent
Friday Rest
Saturday Rest
Sunday Rest
Total 2 runs, 24 miles, 1975m 6560 feet
I had 3 days rest though and then went for a trial run to test myself. Although I still didn't feel 100% I ended up doing the best (only by a few seconds) run I had done over 6 laps of my 3 mile hilly course getting in just under 3 hours. This was a further confidence booster that I took as a good omen and decided that I would do a standard week of training and follow this by 2 weeks of tapering.
I now had brought my Bob Graham Round date forward by 3 weeks to 25th May 2008.
Since taking the decision I have felt really excited and good about the commitment and the fact that after a long time of waiting I am going to get a really good go at the challenge.
I have a whole week off on holiday that week and originally had planned to walk part of the south west peninsula coast path with a friend and would have treated that as a start to my tapering phase. Unfortunately due to work commitments my friend was unable to make it and so then I had planned to do some gentle walking in the Lake District instead.
When I felt so good at my last visit to the Lakes I felt that my fitness was unlikely to improve substantially with 2 or 3 extra weeks training and that I was as ready as I needed to be. To continue to push with more training would just invite the possibility of injury.
I think a large part of success in the BGR is about things beyond training and pure fitness. Whilst I might have got better familiarity with the route from an extra weeks reccying - motivation and mental toughness coupled with weather conditions, avoiding injury and ill health, and staying well hydrated and properly nourished on the day are all more important in terms of a successful outcome. As I now have a few days in which to select the best conditions I hope that I am able to optomise all these factors.
In short - I am ready.
I am watching the weather forecasts avidly hoping that conditons will be suitable on the 25th. Ideal would be overcast and cool with good visibility, little wind and no rain. A slowly building but not fully stablished high pressure area would do nicely - typical end of May conditions but we all know how unpredictable the Lakes weather can be.
Am I fully commited as advocated in Richard Askwith's excellent 'Feet in the Clouds'?
I am in some ways - when I get on the fells I will give it my all although I will still have one eye on safety. Before I get to the fells though I will stay flexible. So if there is a storm forecast I shall be waiting for a better opportunity - this is an advantage of a self contained attempt.
I think that I am nearly resigned to the fact that I will not be eligible to join the Bob Graham Club. It is possible that a group may start at the exact same time as I do but the chances of this happening are fairly remote and even if they did, they might not want me tagging along or we would most likely be travelling at different speeds.
I am a bit sad about this as I think it would be a wonderful club to be a member of and it undoubtedly contains some amazing characters.
The main aim though is for me to complete my Bob Graham Round successfully after all this time and effort.
Week 19 5-11/5/08
Monday Rest (ill)
Tuesday Rest
Wednesday Rest
Thursday 18 miles x6 250m hill circuits 2 hrs 59 mins 1500m ascent
Friday 6 miles x2 250m hill circuits 59 mins 500m ascent
Saturday 12 miles x4 250m hill circuits 2 hrs 4 mins 1000m ascent
Sunday Alton 10 mile road race hilly 71.26 ?400m ascent
Total 4 runs, 46 miles, 3400m 10,940 feet ascent
Week 20 12-17/5/08
Monday 18 miles x6 250m hill circuits 3 hrs 24 mins 1500m ascent
Tuesday Rest
Wednesday Rest
Thursday 6 miles x6 65m hills 68.30 475m ascent
Friday Rest
Saturday Rest
Sunday Rest
Total 2 runs, 24 miles, 1975m 6560 feet
Thursday 8 May 2008
Big mileage in the Lakes
I ended April and started May by easing back a bit so that I was feeling raring to go for the next four weeks. I planned this to be a fairly intense training before a three week(ish) tapering period. This was aiming for a date for the round of 21st June.
I was also going up to the Lakes that weekend and wanted to be able to do as much as possible to kick start this phase of training.
In the event I had a good but tiring and mixed weekend.
It is always a challenge just getting to the Lakes after a full days work, crossing the solent and then coaxing my little car through bank holiday weekend traffic. I was lucky though that I got away early and the hold ups were not on the M6 but the M1 and more traffic seemed to be heading south than north. I arrived in Keswick at 1100 and was in bed by midnight.
The next day I had the full monty English breakfast in the B and B and headed off to Dunmail raise just after 0900 planning to do section 3 and then maybe section 4 or take an easier route back to Honister and then make my way back to Keswick (possibly hitch).
As I arrived I noticed a couple of other cars parked in the BG spaces and when I looked up Seat Sandal I saw 3 guys coming down the fell in BG shuffle mode, They crossed the style and road and went to an obvious team of supporters by the cars.
I went across and found out they were 3 Macclesfield Harriers (Jon,Ross and Mike) on Bob Graham attempts and going well. One of them had done it before in under 22 hours and the other 2 were first timers. They were doing a self contained attempt - carrying their own stuff with roadside support and having a couple of pacers on legs 4 and 5 in case they started to get seperated later on.
I asked if they wanted me to keep out of their way but they were very friendly and suggested I came along with them - well this was wonderful so I said I would stay with them if I could. I didnt want to bust myself if they were flying - and I never find the old cooked breakfast is much good to run on for the first couple of hours. It is not too bad for the 3rd hour and after that hunger seems to set in again anyway.
In the event I had a great time with them. The weather started a bit grey but it cleared steadily as the day went on. Visibility was excellent and the sun came out in the afternoon. A far cry from the predicted rain, low cloud and gusting 70 mph winds although it was still a bit breezy early on.
We kept a good pace all day but nothing too uncomfortable and they showed me some great lines up some of the peaks. I particularly liked Billy Blands rake up Rossett Pike - which cut off quite a bit of distance at the expense of a modest bit of extra climbing. I nearly lost them at this point though due to a call of nature which left me about half a mile behind. I just spotted them in the distance though and was able to catch up going up hill. Generally I felt that I was struggling to maintain the pace down hill but was fine going up. My descending has improved considerably and I find it perfectly comfortable now but just not very rapid - I would definitely be useless in a fell race!
We didnt manage to find the best line up Bowfell although we didnt lose any time. We followed cairns but they just petered out and then we started to run out of room as a cliff appeared ahead of us. We ended up just climbing straight up and got up to the ridge short of the summit and not far from our intended arrival point but not on a very elegant line. I had problems before when I tried this last summer so maybe next time will be better.
We came down Scafell on some scree which was great but I was not sure the stony path after that was worth it and wondered whether the line on steep grass all the way might have been easier overall - interesting though.
We had a good stop in Wasdale - about 20 mins although I was a little late getting away as I had been messing around filling up with water from the stream. I soon caught them all up going up Yewbarrow. For this leg there were 3 pacers - two guys planning a BG on 15th June (Steve and Ian) and one of the contenders wives (Christine) who is no mean fell runner. It was a good fun section with stunning views and I was shown some good places to get water and a good line up Kirk Fell (to the left of the red gully). I have struggled before on that ascent ending up frightening myself with some dodgy rock climbing!
We had a couple of discussions on Brandreth and Grey Knotts about which exactly were the peaks (resolved by visiting them all) and I must find out which the official ones are.
When we got down to Honister I declined the offered lift back to Keswick as it was such a nice evening I thought I would carry on to Little Town over the remaining 3 fells. We used head torches coming off Robinson and it seemed better than Halls Fell in the dark so I have more or less decided to start at 0100 rather than midnight as I should get Halls Fell in the first light that way.
We had another pacer for this section (Jon) - he narrowly missed out on his BG last year when he injured his knee on Red Pike and had to make a difficult descent down into Wasdale on his own (his pacer had had problems too and had had to leave him earlier). I told him the story of Rogers knee giving out as he came off Robinson last year when fortunately he had loads of time to hobble back to Keswick and I commiserated with him. He is not sure if he will be able to have another crack at the BG as he has cartilage and arthritis problems in the knee but I think there may be more chapters to that story as he is very fit and driven!
When I got off the fell I had intended to get a lift back to Keswick as I didn't think I really needed a 5 mile road run in fell shoes. When the time came though I couldnt leave the party early and for completeness really I jogged back with them. We didnt go fast (used our full 3 hours for the section) and it was a good way to end the day. It was brilliant and emotional to see them finishing their BG's and celebrate with family and supporters. I had been very impressed that they had managed to stay together as a team even though they all went (and came through) their own tough times on the round. I was introduced to all their team and someone (jokingly I think) suggested that I should just carry on and do the last two sections to get it done. It was not my time though and so I thanked them for a wonderful 14 hour day out and made my way back to the B and B and a well earned sleep.
The next morning I was very slow and lethargic even after the full English. In retrospect I wonder if it was because I had nothing to eat the night before (it was 2330 and everywhere was closed) and then a protein breakfast left me lacking in carbohydrates. At the time I was not aware of this and decided just to do section 2 and get back to my car. It took me ages to get myself into gear and it was gone 1330 by the time I got to Threlkeld and it was raining and claggy on the tops. I felt rubbish all the way up Clough Head and in desparation I ate something even though I didnt feel at all hungry. Amazingly I suddenly felt ok again and I was able to do the rest of the section in standard time (apart from when I had to do a bit of map work coming off Dollywaggon). I picked up the car in by now torrential rain and drove back to Keswick for a celebratory night out at an Italian restaurant.
I was looking forward to the meal and to polishing off section 1 the next day before driving home but unusually for me I didnt finish my main course and didnt want pudding. I was in bed around 2300 feeling ok but about 0300 I woke up for the first of several trips to the loo with sickness and the runs. I dont know whether it was food poisoning or a viral thing but the enteral bit had settled down by the morning. I was left feeling really tired - like I couldnt get out of bed and felt feverish and headachy too. I kept hydrating all day but couldnt really manage solids. I was allowed to stay in my room until 1500 and then my hosts kindly offered me another room for as long as I wanted. I had a big day at work the next day though so I felt I ought to try to get back to the island and so I set off driving.
The next 12 hours are a bit of a blur.
I drove for about 40 minutes at a time and then stopped for a couple of hours sleep at a service station before continuing. Eventually I was somewhere around Manchester at 2200 and I woke up feeling the worst had past. I was less sweaty and my headache and achy joints had gone. From then on I was able to drive more or less all the way down to Portsmouth getting there about 0200 and eventually getting home at 0330 - very tired and relieved. That journey had been harder and more worrying than 3 sections of the BG!
I had porridge for breakfast and felt about 90% fit at work but definitely on the mend. I was on call the following night but thankfully it was quiet - some one was looking after me.
The following day I was more or less normal and taking stock of a highly eventful weekend.
Overall I was pleased with what I had done even though I had planned on doing the whole route in the 3 days.
I feel it would have been fine if I had not been ill and saturday was definitely a good day where I did more than I had planned.
Originally I had planned on 3 more hard weeks of training and then I have a weeks holiday in the Lakes where I was going to do some final (gentle) recces before tapering for 3 weeks before 20th June.
I have started wondering now though whether I should keep training this week and then taper for a couple of weeks and plan to make my attempt during my weeks holiday. This would give me a bigger weather window and there is virtually the same amount of daylight. I would lose a bit of time to hone my fitness levels but to be honest I think I probably have sufficient fitness and that things like mental factors, health, injuries, weather and other unpredictable eventualities probably play a bigger part. It would be sad to train for an extra couple of weeks only to end up injured.
On the other hand the extra reccying time, familiarising time, and time to prepare my food and kit would be useful.
Looks like I have a decision to make some time in the next week as by then I will have to commit to either training or tapering!
Week 18 28/4 - 4/5/08
Monday 18 miles x6 250m hill circuits 3hrs 0 min 1500m ascent
Tuesday Rest
Wednesday Rest
Thursday Rest
Friday Rest
Saturday 40 miles Legs 3,4,5 BGR 14 hrs 10 mins (2 stops 22 mins each) 5400m ascent
Sunday 13 miles Leg 2 BGR 4hrs 43 mins 1455m ascent
Total 3 runs, 70 miles, 8355m 27,500 feet ascent
I was also going up to the Lakes that weekend and wanted to be able to do as much as possible to kick start this phase of training.
In the event I had a good but tiring and mixed weekend.
It is always a challenge just getting to the Lakes after a full days work, crossing the solent and then coaxing my little car through bank holiday weekend traffic. I was lucky though that I got away early and the hold ups were not on the M6 but the M1 and more traffic seemed to be heading south than north. I arrived in Keswick at 1100 and was in bed by midnight.
The next day I had the full monty English breakfast in the B and B and headed off to Dunmail raise just after 0900 planning to do section 3 and then maybe section 4 or take an easier route back to Honister and then make my way back to Keswick (possibly hitch).
As I arrived I noticed a couple of other cars parked in the BG spaces and when I looked up Seat Sandal I saw 3 guys coming down the fell in BG shuffle mode, They crossed the style and road and went to an obvious team of supporters by the cars.
I went across and found out they were 3 Macclesfield Harriers (Jon,Ross and Mike) on Bob Graham attempts and going well. One of them had done it before in under 22 hours and the other 2 were first timers. They were doing a self contained attempt - carrying their own stuff with roadside support and having a couple of pacers on legs 4 and 5 in case they started to get seperated later on.
I asked if they wanted me to keep out of their way but they were very friendly and suggested I came along with them - well this was wonderful so I said I would stay with them if I could. I didnt want to bust myself if they were flying - and I never find the old cooked breakfast is much good to run on for the first couple of hours. It is not too bad for the 3rd hour and after that hunger seems to set in again anyway.
In the event I had a great time with them. The weather started a bit grey but it cleared steadily as the day went on. Visibility was excellent and the sun came out in the afternoon. A far cry from the predicted rain, low cloud and gusting 70 mph winds although it was still a bit breezy early on.
We kept a good pace all day but nothing too uncomfortable and they showed me some great lines up some of the peaks. I particularly liked Billy Blands rake up Rossett Pike - which cut off quite a bit of distance at the expense of a modest bit of extra climbing. I nearly lost them at this point though due to a call of nature which left me about half a mile behind. I just spotted them in the distance though and was able to catch up going up hill. Generally I felt that I was struggling to maintain the pace down hill but was fine going up. My descending has improved considerably and I find it perfectly comfortable now but just not very rapid - I would definitely be useless in a fell race!
We didnt manage to find the best line up Bowfell although we didnt lose any time. We followed cairns but they just petered out and then we started to run out of room as a cliff appeared ahead of us. We ended up just climbing straight up and got up to the ridge short of the summit and not far from our intended arrival point but not on a very elegant line. I had problems before when I tried this last summer so maybe next time will be better.
We came down Scafell on some scree which was great but I was not sure the stony path after that was worth it and wondered whether the line on steep grass all the way might have been easier overall - interesting though.
We had a good stop in Wasdale - about 20 mins although I was a little late getting away as I had been messing around filling up with water from the stream. I soon caught them all up going up Yewbarrow. For this leg there were 3 pacers - two guys planning a BG on 15th June (Steve and Ian) and one of the contenders wives (Christine) who is no mean fell runner. It was a good fun section with stunning views and I was shown some good places to get water and a good line up Kirk Fell (to the left of the red gully). I have struggled before on that ascent ending up frightening myself with some dodgy rock climbing!
We had a couple of discussions on Brandreth and Grey Knotts about which exactly were the peaks (resolved by visiting them all) and I must find out which the official ones are.
When we got down to Honister I declined the offered lift back to Keswick as it was such a nice evening I thought I would carry on to Little Town over the remaining 3 fells. We used head torches coming off Robinson and it seemed better than Halls Fell in the dark so I have more or less decided to start at 0100 rather than midnight as I should get Halls Fell in the first light that way.
We had another pacer for this section (Jon) - he narrowly missed out on his BG last year when he injured his knee on Red Pike and had to make a difficult descent down into Wasdale on his own (his pacer had had problems too and had had to leave him earlier). I told him the story of Rogers knee giving out as he came off Robinson last year when fortunately he had loads of time to hobble back to Keswick and I commiserated with him. He is not sure if he will be able to have another crack at the BG as he has cartilage and arthritis problems in the knee but I think there may be more chapters to that story as he is very fit and driven!
When I got off the fell I had intended to get a lift back to Keswick as I didn't think I really needed a 5 mile road run in fell shoes. When the time came though I couldnt leave the party early and for completeness really I jogged back with them. We didnt go fast (used our full 3 hours for the section) and it was a good way to end the day. It was brilliant and emotional to see them finishing their BG's and celebrate with family and supporters. I had been very impressed that they had managed to stay together as a team even though they all went (and came through) their own tough times on the round. I was introduced to all their team and someone (jokingly I think) suggested that I should just carry on and do the last two sections to get it done. It was not my time though and so I thanked them for a wonderful 14 hour day out and made my way back to the B and B and a well earned sleep.
The next morning I was very slow and lethargic even after the full English. In retrospect I wonder if it was because I had nothing to eat the night before (it was 2330 and everywhere was closed) and then a protein breakfast left me lacking in carbohydrates. At the time I was not aware of this and decided just to do section 2 and get back to my car. It took me ages to get myself into gear and it was gone 1330 by the time I got to Threlkeld and it was raining and claggy on the tops. I felt rubbish all the way up Clough Head and in desparation I ate something even though I didnt feel at all hungry. Amazingly I suddenly felt ok again and I was able to do the rest of the section in standard time (apart from when I had to do a bit of map work coming off Dollywaggon). I picked up the car in by now torrential rain and drove back to Keswick for a celebratory night out at an Italian restaurant.
I was looking forward to the meal and to polishing off section 1 the next day before driving home but unusually for me I didnt finish my main course and didnt want pudding. I was in bed around 2300 feeling ok but about 0300 I woke up for the first of several trips to the loo with sickness and the runs. I dont know whether it was food poisoning or a viral thing but the enteral bit had settled down by the morning. I was left feeling really tired - like I couldnt get out of bed and felt feverish and headachy too. I kept hydrating all day but couldnt really manage solids. I was allowed to stay in my room until 1500 and then my hosts kindly offered me another room for as long as I wanted. I had a big day at work the next day though so I felt I ought to try to get back to the island and so I set off driving.
The next 12 hours are a bit of a blur.
I drove for about 40 minutes at a time and then stopped for a couple of hours sleep at a service station before continuing. Eventually I was somewhere around Manchester at 2200 and I woke up feeling the worst had past. I was less sweaty and my headache and achy joints had gone. From then on I was able to drive more or less all the way down to Portsmouth getting there about 0200 and eventually getting home at 0330 - very tired and relieved. That journey had been harder and more worrying than 3 sections of the BG!
I had porridge for breakfast and felt about 90% fit at work but definitely on the mend. I was on call the following night but thankfully it was quiet - some one was looking after me.
The following day I was more or less normal and taking stock of a highly eventful weekend.
Overall I was pleased with what I had done even though I had planned on doing the whole route in the 3 days.
I feel it would have been fine if I had not been ill and saturday was definitely a good day where I did more than I had planned.
Originally I had planned on 3 more hard weeks of training and then I have a weeks holiday in the Lakes where I was going to do some final (gentle) recces before tapering for 3 weeks before 20th June.
I have started wondering now though whether I should keep training this week and then taper for a couple of weeks and plan to make my attempt during my weeks holiday. This would give me a bigger weather window and there is virtually the same amount of daylight. I would lose a bit of time to hone my fitness levels but to be honest I think I probably have sufficient fitness and that things like mental factors, health, injuries, weather and other unpredictable eventualities probably play a bigger part. It would be sad to train for an extra couple of weeks only to end up injured.
On the other hand the extra reccying time, familiarising time, and time to prepare my food and kit would be useful.
Looks like I have a decision to make some time in the next week as by then I will have to commit to either training or tapering!
Week 18 28/4 - 4/5/08
Monday 18 miles x6 250m hill circuits 3hrs 0 min 1500m ascent
Tuesday Rest
Wednesday Rest
Thursday Rest
Friday Rest
Saturday 40 miles Legs 3,4,5 BGR 14 hrs 10 mins (2 stops 22 mins each) 5400m ascent
Sunday 13 miles Leg 2 BGR 4hrs 43 mins 1455m ascent
Total 3 runs, 70 miles, 8355m 27,500 feet ascent
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)