Spring is in the Fells
The weekend started with a bit of luck.
As a surprise and Christmas present from Clare we were aiming for Wasdale the home of British Climbing and a Saturday night stay at the Wasdale Head inn. We’d attack the Mosedale Horsehoe on the Sunday so that was it, weekend goal set..!!
This still left something to plan for the Saturday whilst driving to Wasdale? As it was my weekend Clare left it in my hands to choose what we could do! I thought for a while…. Now I’d always wanted to climb a small mountain called Blackcombe. It’s the kind of hill where you pass to travel to the western lakes to tackle some of the more famous and bigger tops and admire from the car window.
That was it Saturday was set – a run/walk up Blackcombe it was then or was it? As luck wold have it a post from Pete Bland sports in Kendal popped up on my Facebook saying they’d be at the Blackcombe Fell race, on the Saturday! after checking the Fell Running website (FRA) we found that indeed there was a fell race – so we’d enter as on my bucket list was to run a Fell race in the Lakes. Last year I bobbed around the Keswick 1/2 marathon after guiding a group around the 24 mile Yorkshire 3 peaks the day before.
Balckcombe
After a 2 1/2 hour drive we landed on the field which was being used as the car park. The weather looked good, but the hill now looked very steep, especially as we’d be running, climbing, crawling to the summit, then back down the other side and then back up again ( must be mad). We registered at Silecroft village hall, bought a new pair of la Sportiva trainers and headed back to the car to change. I faffed around for 45 minutes, after deciding which top to wear and had a pre-race pee (nerves). We then lined up at the start with 150 other , thinner and fitter runners from various clubs around the UK. 12 midday the whistle was blown and we were off.
I’d say I hit the first climb, but in fact it was only one climb all the way to the summit at 600 metres or 1970 feet. It wasn’t long before my lungs were exploding going from pretty much sea level to near vertical climbing within 4 minutes can’t be good for you (can it?). The fitter among us ( including Clare ) started to gain pace and distance. I felt like I was going backwards and started to have heated discussions with the little voice in my head ( you’re not fit enough, you weigh to much, you’ve not done this before, STOP, go back, you can’t do it) you know what I mean, don’t you :). You then have to kick the little voice. I just kept thinking of a post-it note my daughter Ellie had secretly left on my computer monitor and it’s still there now. It simply read ‘ Never enter a race if you won’t finish it !!!!!!!!!! By Ellie (10)’ – I kept moving, placing one foot in front of the other, as other runners passed me I just kept moving , upwards.
I then set a GOAL – to finish and to finish before the last place.
We hit the summit in thick mist, the kind you can only see you hands in front of your face. It was time – to get the ma and compass out…!!!! I took a bearing and took a bearing again as I didn’t believe it the first time and headed off hand railing Blackcombe and Whitecombe screes on my right. It wasn’t long before the mist cleared as we dropped I saw 4 runners in front of me, I didn’t know I was currently last, but i knew if I overtook these runners I wouldn’t be. i used this new motivation to keep moving and as the ground leveled out I took up speed and passed them and headed to control point 3 on Whitecombe ( Blackcombes little sister).
Then a steeeep descent to a stream junction observing the mighty climb after crossing the stream. Then the Steeep long climb started back up towards Blackcombe’s south summit, before a long run down ( lots of ups and downs today). With the other runners still behind me motivation kept me going. It wasn’t long until we hit the mist again and I tried to navigate from memory towards the south summit, but I kept thinking of a phrase I’d used whilst delivering a runners navigation training day ‘ Take 30 seconds ( to read a map) to save 60 minutes ( having to find where you are when you get lost). Now to get my map back out I’d have to stop and the other runners will be gaining on me. Dilemma I stopped.. 🙂
To find out where you are on a map in zero viability and no land marks you can use the ground to aid you by taking a bearing down the hill ( fall line) and to my surprise I was right on target. I could hear other runners behind me, like a horror film with a werewolf chasing you I kept on moving and landed right onto the final control point. whooo.
‘ Never enter a race if you won’t finish it !!!!!!!!!! By Ellie (10)’
Then I shot of in to the mist , heading down hill and fast. It was fun, I had to cross some snow and slid down like a big kid we all are. Then out of the corner of my eye I saw another fell runner, this fell runner had passed me 40 minutes before when we were heading down to the stream junction. I stepped up the pace and to my amazement I left him for dust ( well wet soil anyway). Then a minute or 2 later i heard a thud. I swung around and saw the runner performing a somersault. I stopped and shouted back to him to see if was OK, he was, so I shot off. With momentum I carried on running down, jumping dancing of the rocks along the path, troughs and mounds. I could see the finish line and being congratulated and supported by the remaining vol enter marshals, I crossed the line to be met by Clare who’d finished some 13 minutes before me ( she’s more the mountain goat).
Race done in 2:24:32 and 1080 meters of ascent. Happy with that..!!!
