Monday 29 October 2012

Bronte Way

Miles to date: 958
Races to date: 34 
£££ to date: £987 + £65 cash offline - £1052 

Well the 1000th mile is very nearly with me now! I've had to start really thinking about how many miles I am doing to limit them as every mile brings me closer at a pace a bit faster than I had planned. I really want my 1000th mile to be with some of the wonderful people who have encouraged, supported, cajoled and helped me along the way throughout this challenge so need to make sure I reach it on the 10th November and not before! I thought I had planned it out so that, if I pushed myself a bit harder, the 10th was a good target but over the last couple of months my runs seem to have crept up in their mileage from 5 to 6 to 7 and weekly totals are mostly now over 25 and increasing 30+. That does give me a real sense of how I have progressed since I started this madness. I might still be slow and I may still run a lot fewer miles than some reading this but I am immensely satisfied with what I can now do. 

I've even managed to get down to the Club for a few Thursday night training sessions in the last few weeks. What a fantastic place it is on a Thursday! A complete hive of activity with multiple junior sessions, at least 4 different senior groups from the serious elite mixed up with those just starting out it's a great atmosphere. I've also been amazed at just how much I hurt afterwards! I did a beginners speed session a couple of weeks ago - short sprints in pyramids, pushing yourself as fast as you can. I could barely move the next day! I'm told it will do me good though - thanks Kim! 

I've had a couple of good, fast (for me) runs in London, one in company, thanks to Mr Wild. I find it very intimidating and anxiety inducing running with new people. Will I be able to keep up? Will they expect me to talk and run? So far, I've enjoyed every run with a new person so don't really know what I'm bothering about. I still do though! Last weeks companion led me round a scenic tour of London Bridges, along stretches of the Thames and weaving through back streets where the river paths vanished. At roughly 8.5 minute mile pace for almost 7 miles we did talk and I had a geography lesson on the construction of the landscape - having never realised how the rivers curve and bridge placements work so all routes lead back to Elephant and Castle maybe I won't take such circuitous routes to venues in the future! I had a real buzz when we got back - a fast run and good company along a new route. Thanks Richard, see you in a couple of weeks! 

This Sunday was the Bronte Way. An 8 mile race organised by our club and a route that I've run a few times with Blue as a training run / dog walk. It's unusual as it's a linear point to point race, starting out in Lancashire at Wycoller Park the route is a mix of trail and fell with some fabulously boggy bits and steepish descents to slither down! Finishing up the steep cobbles of Haworth main street amidst the tourists who look a bit askance at bedraggled, mud covered, vest clad runners who have to force themselves up the last few metres to finish with a bottle of Timothy Taylors!

Simon has hurt his ankle again - mainly due to no training or strengthening exercises and only racing so no sympathy please it'll only make him worse! To stop him from racing he decided to commit to running this one with me. We do run a bit together mostly with Blue but Simon's forte isn't training or running when it's not a race he doesn't tend to do as many miles as me it's just that the miles he does run he runs faster in races!! He had decided that he would attempt to push me to run faster than I would usually. Obviously when I'm running in races normally I don't  try to run as fast as I can. 

The start of the Bronte Way is a fairly unpleasant mile or so up a steadily inclining track. It's not hugely steep but it just keeps going up. At Simon's instigation we started further forward than I would normally and the pace at the start was way beyond my comfort zone. Mostly men, huffing, puffing, some tutting as they ran round and past me. My start was faster than normal but not a pace I could sustain for very long. Gradually I dropped back to a place in the field where I could at least breath, or try to! My breathing was the worst it's been for a long time and I really struggled to get into a rhythm. I've had an underlying cold for a week or so, nothing bad enough to make me poorly but enough to make breathing a bit harder than I would like.  As soon as the uphill track finally ended and we turned across on to the fell I felt better. 

The middle section is classic fell, little single track paths through heather moor, up and down gullies, wading through bogs, lots of styles and wall crossings. This is the sort of running I love and am probably at my strongest. I passed a few runners who had passed me earlier and I gradually pulled myself further forward until I found a fellow Keighley runner - Diane, who is a road runner on the fells under sufferance (or so she says!). I passed her at a particularly boggy section where I ploughed straight on through leaving Diane behind to delicately pick her way over! 
"It's all right for you Fell runners" she shouted as I ran off across the knee deep bog. 
I managed to keep in front of her as I used all of my off road techniques to get up and down the very muddy and wet fields and fells, keeping a steady pace and really stretching out down the hills. Until we reached the metalled road when Diane's road experience and speed lifted her up and she trotted past me and away putting a minute or so between us. 
"It's all right for you road runners" I retorted to her quickly disappearing back! 



At Ponden Reservoir - thanks for the encouragement Mrs Newbold x
We dropped down and along the side of Ponden Reservoir. Whilst everyone else seems to be able to up their pace once they hit the tarmac I just want to stop! I had twisted my ankle as we came through a gate on the tops and I was desperate to find a stream or deep puddle to stick my foot in to try and limit the swelling. By the time we started to pull up on the hill to Bronte moor I had splashed through a dozen potholes and the pain in my ankle had subsided enough to know I could carry on. 


Caught eating jelly babies on Penistone - cheers Mr Woodhead x 
The final pull up on to the top hurt but I did close the gap a bit that Diane had managed to put between us. As we dropped down to Bronte Falls I knew we only had a couple of miles left and this path is very familiar to me. Emma came past me on the track shouting that we were going to break 1hour 30minutes and to come on! I tried to pick up my pace to keep up with her fast disappearing heels but all my energy and strength seemed to be ebbing away. This last section is easy, I run it all the time with Blue. It's not far. It's mostly flat. Why on earth wouldn't my legs work? Diane W steam rollered past me with such a steady and solid gait. They both set off a pace across Penistone Moor as I scrambled to find jelly babies and glucose tablets to attempt to dig the last mile out of my fast fading body. Mr and Mrs Woodhead were hidden at the top, shielded by a leafless tree and sheltering from the steady drizzle ready to point their cameras at unsuspecting jelly baby scoffing runners!!! 

Mind over matter and we finally ran through Weavers Hill car park, dropping down into the village to start the last 100 metres of torture up the cobbles. It was a fantastic feeling and I have no idea where I found the last dregs of energy but I did run every step up those cobbles and managed to squeak over the finish line at 1hour 29minutes 34seconds - a result I am very happy with! 

The rest of this week is a busy one! The Howler tonight, night race on Thursday (note to self: time to stock up on batteries), Shepherds Skyline on Saturday and Cop Hill, Meltham on Sunday. Saturdays race will mark my first full year fell running - Shepherds Skyline was my first race so I'll be trying to make sure I push for a time that shows some improvement in the last 12 months! 

Don't forget it would be fabulous to see you if you can join us on Saturday 10th November 2012, 10:30am start at The Fishermans Inn, Wagon Lane, Bingley for a social trot out up to Baildon moor. Fancy dress optional!! You'll also be very welcome to keep some seats warm in the Fishermans if you don't fancy running!

Big big thanks to Tizz for the lovely card and cash, Kim who as well as making me hurt also tipped the fundraising over the £1000 mark with her cash donation.  
Camille, Schwampy and Mother, Val, Noreen, Sue H, Lisa Smedley, Deborah and Stu Walton and Vicky Young who have all made fabulous donations online in the last couple of weeks - thank you all so very much you really have helped to motivate and push me out in all weathers! 


No comments:

Post a Comment