A previous blog (July last year) described my 4th attempt at doing the Lakeland 50 Ultra Marathon. At the end of the post I was contemplating taking on the big brother of that event, the Lakeland 100……….. Well in September last year I decided to have a crack at it… I’d exceeded my expectations in the L50 after all……..
Training
I knew I would have to up my game considerably training wise
if I was to make a decent attempt, let alone finish. I was also going to have
to do something about the Achilles heel of my more than dubious navigation
skills but back then I was confident that I could sort both of these issues out
with time to spare. In hindsight I was rather underestimating the challenge.
How much I’d underestimated things started to become
apparent almost straight away as I began to properly read up on the event. The
L100 is actually 105 miles long, only 5 miles more than I’d believed but still,
that 5 miles could make all the difference. The L100 is also has more than
twice as much ascent/descent than the L50 (according to the route book 22500
feet or 6850m – to put that in context Mont Blanc is 4807m, Kilimanjaro is
5895m and Everest is 8848m). The race first ran in 2008 with 32 runners entering
(of which 13 completed the course) since then numbers have built up to 300+
though the dropout rate has remained an average of 50-60% according to the
organisers. I’d read a lot of this information previously but having officially
registered the numbers started to hit home a little harder.
My training was going to have to change in order to
accommodate all this. I’d learned the hard way in the L50 that ignoring core
strength training would cost me so I was going to have to spend more time in
the gym. I’d also have to up my mileage, a lot! Things went well through
October and November, I got the miles in, did lots of core exercises and
comfortably completed the Kielder marathon in a new PB. All was going well
until January when thanks to some poor pre run planning I went and pulled my
calf muscle again. The damage wasn’t too bad but it severely limited my mileage
through till mid-March. In the meantime there was still gym work to do, and I spent
a lot of time on the exercise bike to keep the aerobic fitness up. It was
extremely boring, nowhere near as much fun as running and the gym limits you to
no more than 30 minutes at a time but it was something. I also spent time
lifting weights, lots of reps of relatively small weights to build up strength
in my back and shoulders (I was given lots of advice on this by Paul Cooper).
By the end of March I was able to run distance again without
much discomfort. There was a busy period through Easter that prevented planned
trips to do a couple of reconnaissance runs on the first half of the course but
in May I was able to have a great weekend away in the lakes with Penny and we
did the Lakeland Trails Staverley 10k race. The race was a good way of getting
back into running on rocky trails and I was quite surprised to come 6th.
The last couple of months before the race I really started to build the
distance up, not quite as much as I’d originally hoped but still more than I’d
done last year. Key to this was doing back to back long runs on Saturdays and
Sundays. It can be difficult finding the motivation to head out on tired legs
but I was very lucky that Penny was building back up to long distance running
after a long layoff with injury and was happy to run with me. Running (and
nattering) with someone makes a massive difference, providing a welcome extra
motivation to get the trainers on and get out there.
In the last few weeks before the race, to make up for the
total lack of reconnaissance runs, I watched John Kynaston’s YouTube videos of
the route – many, many times over to try and memorise the course.
Heading to The Race
The few nights before the race I started to get quite
nervous about the run. The fact is I hadn’t felt genuinely worried about
finishing a race in years and it came as a bit of a shock. The completion stats
really started to hit home. A friend from Tyne Bridge Harriers (Rob) was
thinking of pulling out of the race due to lack of training and he is way
faster than me. I’d also had a look at finishing times for the last couple of
years – this is something I should have done right at the start but hadn’t
thought to. The times were a lot longer than I was expecting!! With this in
mind I decided the target for the race was just to finish, never mind setting
any particular time. To pass the time I also packed, unpacked and re-packed my
running kit (you have to run with an assortment of gear, extra layers of
clothing, food, water, survival kit, first aid kit etc). This certainly helped
while away the last few hours!
The race doesn’t start till 6pm on the Friday so there was
lots of time to drive down to the lakes, get my tent pitched at race HQ, have
my kit checked, get weighed and issued with my race number. There was also a
briefing to attend – the race director is a very funny guy so this was quite
entertaining. I can’t remember everything he said but the stand out bits
were………
·
Just because this room is full of people about
to run 105 miles doesn’t make it normal! You all just hang around with odd
people.
·
The course will be tough but remember to live in
the moment while you’re out there. Be sure to enjoy the good bits!
He finished with an instruction to “shake hands with the
person sat next to you….. now decide which one of you is going to make it!”………
inspiring stuff.
Start - Coniston to
Seathwaite.
The official anthem of the Lakeland 100 is Nessun Dorma (none
shall sleep), just before the start this was sung live and then with a short count
down we were off. 302 runners trotting through Coniston and heading up the
quarry road out of the village. It was a massive relief to finally get moving,
the pre-race nerves disappeared and it was a wonderful feeling to be running on
a warm sunny evening in a gorgeous part of the Lake District. The first stage
is quite steep so most of the people around me settled straight away into a
walk/run pattern (walk up the hills, run down them and run on the flat) there was
quite a lot of chatting going on as we were all bunched up and lots of people
were recognising friends they only meet at these races. I saw a few people I
recognised including John Kynaston from the YouTube course videos and Team
Airborn Muttley.
After the initial climb the rest of the section went by in a
bit of a blur, before I knew it I was into the first CP at Seathwaite. It had
taken less than an hour and a half. A bit faster than I was supposed to be
going but I was having fun :-).
first section - feeling good
Seathwaite to Boot.
I’d decided to slow down a bit as was going well ahead of my
planned pace. If I kept this up the chances are I would be burned out by the
halfway point. My strategy was helped by falling face first into the dirt not
long after leaving the CP by tripping over a tree root. This earned me a
coating of mud, a few cuts and bruises and a good helping of embarrassment but
no real damage. I started to talk more to the people around me, some of whom
had completed the race before which really helped boost my confidence. The
scenery looked fantastic with mountains in the distance appearing deep red in
the setting sun. I remembered what the race director had said about living in
the moment, enjoyed the view but didn’t stop to take photos. This section went
pretty rapidly as well, apart from the fall the only issue I encountered was
being eaten by midgies as we went through a boggy stretch.
Boot to Wasdale Head.
This next section was a nice short one without much
climbing. The runners were spreading out a little more but I got chatting with
a chap called Ryan who was more than happy to help me with navigation. There
was still a bit of daylight left but it would be dark by the time we got out of
the next CP and I’d decided that the best way to get through the night was to
tag on to people who knew where they were going. We plodded along at a
reasonable pace but had to put headtorches on about half a mile before we arrived
in Wasdale Head. Looking back along the trail we could see a snake of
headtorches coming down the hill behind us. It was really very pretty.
Wasdale to
Buttermere.
Out of Wasdale the route goes straight over the Back Sail
Pass. It’s a steep climb and everyone was now walking. I’d chatted a bit more
with Ryan but as we continued up it was clear we had different paces when it
came to climbing. Reluctantly, I left him behind as I knew I would have to make
the best of my good spells if I was going to finish – quite a few times in the
build up I was told “run your own race” it may seem a bit selfish but it’s
necessary to get to the end.
Running with Jenn Gaskil into Buttermere
Buttermere to
Braithwaite.
Despite the climb and the fact that it was now the middle of
the night I still felt pretty good. I’d got chatting to a few more people,
including a chap called Sean who I would run with to the half way point. So far
I managed not to get lost but that was about to change. We’d made it over the
top of Sail pass and my head torch battery started to go. It took a few minutes
to sort this out but we got moving again and started the decent. One of things
that had stuck in my mind from the YouTube course videos was that there was a
left fork in the track coming up that was difficult to spot in the dark. I
thought we’d found it and was just consulting the route book as two guys went
streaming past us one of whom yelled “don’t worry I’ve got it on GPS”. The
voice was familiar and I realised it was John Kynaston – the guy who made the
videos – he had to be right! After running down for what seemed like ages
(though apparently it was only a quarter mile) it became apparent that we
should have taken the fork I’d seen. Getting back to the right path meant going
straight up the side of a hill in knee deep heather. If it had happened later
in the race it would have been a catastrophe but thankfully we had (just)
enough energy for it. Once on the right path we had a bit of a laugh about the
mistake and continued on to Braithwaite. (you can see John’s account of our
course deviation on his blog - http://johnkynaston.com/2015/07/29/lakeland-100-race-report-2/).
Braithwaite to
Blencathra.
&
Blencathra to
Dockray.
&
Dockray to Dalemain.
Between Braithwaite and Dalemain the going is a lot easier,
there are still quite a few climbs but not as steep as previous sections.
There’s also quite a lot of running on good tracks, old railway lines and
roads. It meant we could keep up a good pace on tired legs without tiring
ourselves out. We did manage a few wrong turnings but nothing especially bad.
It meant that we could get in to Dockray (the half point) in just over 14
hours.
My target had been to make it into Dalemain before 11:30am (before the L50 runners started) and I think it was around 11am when I got there. Somehow I’d lost Sean just after Dockray, I just hadn’t been looking around me as I’d been going and when I finally looked up he was nowhere to be seen. It meant that I ran into the Dalemain checkpoint on my own. The reception from the 50 mile competitors as I came into the checkpoint was something I will never forget. 600 runners lining the track all cheering and clapping (quite a few who I recognised from previous races), I waved and grinned like an idiot.
My target had been to make it into Dalemain before 11:30am (before the L50 runners started) and I think it was around 11am when I got there. Somehow I’d lost Sean just after Dockray, I just hadn’t been looking around me as I’d been going and when I finally looked up he was nowhere to be seen. It meant that I ran into the Dalemain checkpoint on my own. The reception from the 50 mile competitors as I came into the checkpoint was something I will never forget. 600 runners lining the track all cheering and clapping (quite a few who I recognised from previous races), I waved and grinned like an idiot.
Its worth noting here that running these distances shakes
your system up rather a lot. You also end up eating quite calorie dense food.
The outcome of this is that you need to fart quite a lot. For the last 25 miles
or so me and my fellow runners had been happily just letting these out, secure
in the knowledge that everyone else was doing the same thing and a particularly
loud effort would get applause (or at least grudging admiration). When 600
people are cheering you on is not the time to let one go that sounds like you're
trying to trumpet the last post with your arse!
Dalemain to Howtown
My running style had now evolved into what another competitor
has described as “the stumble jog”. It starts with a sudden lurch forwards to
get yourself going then a few quick steps as your bum catches up with your torso and finally settles
into an ungainly trot, it doesn’t look particularly graceful but it does keep
you moving. I stumble jogged through Pooley Bridge then walked up the incline
that followed. There’s a lovely section to the next check point here. Nice
tracks on a steady downhill, I got back up to speed just as the first of the
L50 runners started to go past. The support of those guys was just incredible,
of the first hundred or so every single one had a word of encouragement as they
zoomed past, even the guys right at the front who were absolutely blasting
along. From just saying "well done Paul" (my name was written underneath my
number on my backpack) to saying things like “you guys are awesome, an
inspiration!”, I’d been one of those runners in previous years shouting similar
encouragement but had no idea until then just how much of a lift it could give.
The path eventually dropped to Howtown (where the CP was manned by a group all
dressed as cowboys) just enough time to refill the water bottles (it was
starting to warm up a bit) guzzle some more flapjack and flat coke then head
out again.
Howtown to Mardale
Head
The climb on the start of this section is the biggest on the
course (2500 feet +), coming out of the CP I trotted along the first section and smiled for
the cameras that are set up along this part of the route. Not long after the
path starts to climb,…… and just keeps on climbing. More L50 runners were still
streaming past and as before almost all took a couple of seconds to say well
done and keep going - everyone around me was walking by now. Close to the top my
brother Ian passed me (he was making a first attempt at the L50 this year), we stopped to talk for a couple of minutes, he was
struggling a bit and as it turned out later he’d come down with a bug and was
low on energy. It was great to see him but he had to push on and fairly soon
was out of sight. I’d been looking forward to reaching the top of the climb and
then enjoying some downhill running to Haweswater but every time I tried to get
going my quads started locking up. I tried shortening my stride, increasing my
cadence, checking my posture but nothing was working. I was starting to get
really worried that the legs would lock up entirely and end my race. There was
nothing else for it I had to slow to a walk and trudge my way down the hill.
running up Fusedale
When you hit the lake the course turns southwards and levels
off but my legs still weren’t cooperating. The track undulates, had a lot of
rocky and rooty sections and I was having problems lifting my legs over the
obstacles so it was more walking to the next CP, brightened only by chatting to
a 50 runner with an adorable border collie in a harness pulling her along. I
managed a slight trot into the CP but I must have looked bad. We’d been told at
the briefing that the medics at CPs would stay in the background but would be
watching us. After a couple of minutes a young medic sidled up and asked me if
I was ok? I can’t remember what I said but I know I was rambling. Part of me
actually wanted to get pulled out, I was knackered and was going very slow, I’d
been trying to work out how long it would take to get to the finish and based
on my pace for the last section I could be out on the hills for another 12-15
hours! Thankfully some self-control kicked in and I set off out of the CP
thinking at the very least I should make it to the next CP at Kentmere.
Mardalehead to
Kentmere
&
Kentmere to Ambleside
Out of Mardale there is another very steep section as you
head up Gatesgarth Pass. I was actually making pretty quick progress going up
hill and managed to overtake a few people but once the track levelled off and I
tried jogging again my quads started to lock up. There were still lots of 50
mile runners about and I got talking to two of them. They were very encouraging
and suggested widening my stance a bit, I tried it, and combined with
increasing my cadence I was able to get up to what would probably pass for a
jog again. By the time I was coming into Kentmere my mood was right back up, I
was making progress and reached the CP an hour ahead of when I expected to. I
spent just enough time at the CP to check in, fill up the water carriers again
and go to the loo. Just a couple of minutes sat down was enough for the legs to
start stiffening up again and climbing out of the portaloo was a real effort.
The route climbs out of Kentmere over the Garbdale pass and
then winds gently down in to Ambleside. I was still managing to run on the
downhill sections and my mood was still pretty good. A few runners nearby were
starting to talk in terms of “nearly made it” but I wasn’t letting myself start
to think that way. Even at Ambleside there is still 16 (ish) miles to go and it
would be all too easy to get cocky and turn an ankle.
It was still daylight as I jogged down the main road in Ambleside,
I was feeling very tired and had just been wondering if I was due for any
hallucinations when I noticed that Gandalf and Gimly from Lord of the Rings
were waving at me from the end of the road! They were very enthusiastic and
were pointing in the direction of the check point. I’d had hallucinations on
long runs before but these really were very vivid. As I approached I noticed
that Gandalf was swigging a pint, I was too tired to try and work out what was
going on so just said thanks and trotted down an alley that led to the Ambleside
Checkpoint hoping that I wouldn’t see anything else weird. My hopes were dashed
as I was greeted by a clown outside the CP (all the Ambleside CP marshals had
dressed as clowns and the one that greeted me was actually Flip Owen a friend
from Elvet Striders – it really messed with my head).
As it turned out the "Gandalf" I saw was flesh and blood - there was a Lord of the Rings stag party happening in Ambleside as we went through.
Ambleside to Chapel
Stile
& Chapel Stile to
Tilberthwaite
& Tilberthwaite
to Coniston (finish)
I had a couple of
minutes fuelling up in the check point in the church hall and then painfully
negotiated my way down the stairs to head to Skelworth Bridge and the track up the
Langdale valley. It was starting to get dark but not quite dark enough for
headtorches, this is when hallucinations have come before. Sure enough before
long I was starting to see faces staring out of the dry stone walls, nothing
very frightening, just a little weird. On the way up Langdale the
hallucinations changed, I could see the Singing Potatoes from the old Smiths
Crisps adverts chasing along the side of the path (if you’re too young to remember
the adverts this is what I could see…….. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15RjmBqt6Vc).
The smiths singing potatoes - thankfully the ones following me were silent
It was fully dark once we (I had started running/walking with
a chap I’m just going to refer to as Anon for reasons you’ll understand later)
arrived at Chapel Stile. I don’t remember much other than the marshals there
were incredibly friendly and helpful. Doling out tea and broth to every zombie
like runner who had made it this far. We probably spent a little too long at
the CP but got moving again shuffling our way further up the valley. The path
here is fairly level but very slippery in places and there are also quite a few
stiles – climbing over these was torture!
Whoever invented these is evil!
A the top of the valley there’s another short climb, just as
we reached the base of the climb it started to chuck it down – thank god it was
near the end of the race!
Before you get to Tilberthwaite there is a mandatory self
checkpoint. It’s just a few lights and an electronic dibber attached to a wall.
Anon was getting paranoid we were going to miss it and I kept having to tell
him not to worry and that I knew exactly where it was I we hadn’t reached it
yet. I was starting to get a bit concerned about him (he’d been asking at one
point if the next CP “was in the fairy house?” !!!?? About 200 meters from the self-check point we
heard a shriek from behind us. A 50 mile runner had tripped on the uneven path
and nearly fallen down a steep drop. She’d managed to grab some bracken so
thankfully hadn’t fallen far but was pretty shaken up. The runner was called Cath and was making her first attempt at the L50. The fall had knocked her nerves a bit and she asked if she could tag along with us for to the finish -I was happy to have the additional company.
During the section into Tilberthwaite Anon had a bit of a
meltdown – I did think of describing the details in this blog but I’ve decided
not to include it. Some things are best left out.
Once we got to Tilberthwaite it was only 3.5 miles to the finish.
I was still going strong up the hills but the last stretch has a nasty descent. To be fair, in daylight a ten year old would be able to do it with ease but it
was a struggle for us. Once we’d got the road at the base of the decent it was
an easy track into the finish. Our little threesome spilt up at this point as we
all ran / staggered at our own pace to the John Ruskin School and the finish
line. I made aeroplanes along the final 100m section and dibbed in with a final
time of 33 hours and 10 minutes :-).
Once you’ve crossed the line a marshal guides you into the
race HQ and shouts “100 miler coming in”. Everyone stops what they’re doing and
cheers you in, it’s an indescribable feeling and I was grinning from ear to ear
– I’d made and my time was much better than I had been expecting. The marshals at race HQ descended on me like a pit crew,
unfastening my pack, taking my headtorch off and putting my medal around my
neck. They also presented me with a printout of my race spilts which told me I
had finished 101st out of the 302 starters. I spoke to a few other
runners, got a big hug and a thank you from Cath and was offered a beer from a
group of other runners - I was tempted but declined. I gobbled down some pasta
(without accidentally flinging over anyone else this time!) and sent a few
texts then it was shower (this was torture – I’m glad no one could record my
yelps as I took my socks off) and then bed (it was nearly 4am by this point and I hadn't slept in nearly 44 hours.
Afterthoughts
For a few days after the run I was very sore (the night
after I had to crawl up and down stairs!!). I couldn’t quite believe that I
managed it I suppose it just goes to show that you never really know until you
try. Would I do it again?............ If you had asked me in the days after the race my answer would have been a
very firm no! But its been 3 weeks now and I’ve had time to reflect, despite the
painful moments and the dark moods it really was a joyful, wonderful adventure………
thinking about that, as a new friend of mine would say “just
go for it!” so I plan to run again next year and try and get that time down a
bit :-)........ Plus there are lots of other races/adventures in other parts of the world I want to try now to!
Finally a few thanks yous. Thanks to Lucy, Penny, Laura, Carli,
Peter, Jenny and everyone who tracked my progress and posted it to facebook or
sent good luck messages– seeing your posts after I finished was amazing. Thanks
to Paul Cooper for all the help in the gym building up core strength. And
a special thanks to Penny, for advice on downhill running, sending ultra-running
blogs, finding those youtube course videos and doing training runs with me – without
your help this might have been a very different blog!
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