Training Log Archive: ToddO

30x eccentric Achilles.
Quite a bit of gentle walking today on sore quads.
Not a nice day. Mainly because Blue, Rhys's dog, had a big fall and died. Some of us were very close to the spot she fell too and she was gone on impact, small mercies.
A horrible accident in a place no more hazardous than plenty of places she'd been before.

Event: Coniston Fell Race - English Fell Running Championship
 

From the finish field down to loop around The Crown Inn and back.

Not long before the race now. Toilets visited, gear sorted and team-mates encouraged/brief on some finer points of racing lines.
Just up towards the cattlegrid and back.
This race was never going to require a lot of warming up...

Just a high knees and butt kicks jobby. Little stride-out too.

Coniston Fell Race, English Champs Medium Counter.
If you think this write up is too long, too bad. Mum will love it!
Lined up in the 2nd or 3rd row with very few chumps in front! Bit weird to have the klaxon sound the start at the end of a respectful silence for a recently lost fellrunner…
No rush, hit the fell after the cattlegrid and threw in a few power-walks. Lots of guys seemed determined to run every step of the way up Mouldry Bank’s unforgiving gradient. I set machismo aside and was dripping with sweat and blowing but not in pain or pushing really hard.
Ran over the final part of this first climb and nipped past Neil Northrop (Nails on AP). Looking at Will Neill’s video on FB shows I was about 50th here. No worries at this stage.
As we went up the main tourist path to Wetherlam Neil was soon back in front but I tracked him as we passed Pete Hodges, Jonny Malley and a few others. I still wasn’t working my hardest and chucked in the occasional walk still.
When we approached the re-entrant of Hole Rake I followed the train that Ben Abdelnoor was heading on a low line into the re-entrant to cut the corner onto the main path again. Neil had gone the more orthodox way and there wasn’t much in it. By now the race was shaping up.
As we hit the spur, high above Red Dell, I had just passed Jack Wright and a struggling Mark McGoldrick (chest infection). This left them, Neil’s Dark Peak train (Pete and Jonny) and Richard Mellon just behind. The line in front of me was taking a lower line than I intended but I saw no-one going high. I thought “Oh well, there’s Ben Mounsey and Victoria Wilkinson (who went on to get the win and record for the Ladies), I’ll push harder if I’m amongst some action”.
The trod was nice and runnable and I felt happy to overtake those two.
At the end of the traverse we hit the bottom of Red Gill Head Moss. I knew we had a lot of climbing to do so I took a higher line and got past some guys in a small pack. I then out ran/walked Bill Stewart and Rob Little in the lower rocky sections before reeling in John Helme (taking a gel) and Chris Edis on the flatter top section. I’d heard Ben M gasping away not long before it flattened out so I knew there was some tight racing going on.
I came off Wetherlam on the nice little trod (that everyone was able to find/follow people to due to the clear conditions) and went over on my L) ankle as it started to steepen. PROPERLY OVER- the lat malleolus hit the ground. After a couple of steps expecting agony on weight-bearing, I realised that I’d escaped injury and forced myself into a more aggressive descent. Unfortunately I’d lost places to Ben M, John Helme and Chris Edis. “Ok. This just means less people get to follow my good line” I told myself.
John was making a bee-line for the main tourist path towards Swirl Hawse and the Base of Prison Band and so we two Amblesiders went around whilst Ben led a little line of guys over the top. I was hoping that they’d hit one of the many rocky sections I’d found up there. They didn’t.
Counting backwards after the race I must’ve been well into the top 40 by Swirl Hawse. I knew Rob Browne, Lizzie Adams and Dave Sprot were going to be on the course so I’d requested they tell me what position I was in when they saw me. Dave yelled that I was about 20th. I didn’t believe him! He later said his guess was about 30th but he wanted to scare me into running harder. It kinda worked.
Ben’s little group was in front and I took a gel whilst gaining places on the ascent. I still wasn’t gutting myself (I think I really should have been at this point) and Neil caught me to prove the point. I was climbing more strongly than Ben when I struck off to the R) to cut the corner to the cairn.
They put the CP about 20m closer to Prison Band than at the actual cairn. Neil yelled but by the time I’d gone through the funnel Ben and co were off and Neil was in front.
I was able to get into some quick running a little sooner than Neil and he came with me on my lower line skirting below the rocks towards Lever’s Hawse as we saw Ben and two others going a little higher.
My line was a bit slower again but the way I’d reccied had always been to be able to run lines that I could reliably do in any weather at a good speed.
Hit the Hawse just behind Neil. We could see them lined out ahead of us: Edis chasing John chasing Ian Nixon chasing Ben M.
Neil went almost over the top of Brim Fell whilst I went lower than all the others after following Helmo up the R) shoulder of the hill. This was where I was digging in: tired legs on soft ground.
I had a pretty flat run towards the final CP on The Old Man of Coniston and I concentrated on picking up some legspeed constantly saying “keep racing” inside my head. You never know how close you’ll get to someone by the finish line…
Edis was coming back to me on the tiny little climb to the CP but I elected not to surge past him as we started the gentle descent to the precipice proper. Why be someone’s lead-out man?
Hit the line I wanted with about 95% accuracy from the top to the stream and trod. This took me past Edis and Nixon whilst gaining significantly on Neil and Helmo.
We jumped onto the trod to the miner’s track and I saw John Henegan and Stuart Bond pop out from the far side of the quarries.
Got onto the miner’s track just behind Bond with Neil taking a slightly more visually appealing but ultimately slow final approach. I literally tripped over Bond’s trailing leg here but shot past and proceeded to nail it in the hope of shaking Neil. I was starting to think I could get my first Champs finish in front of Neil… I’d come very close at Lad’s Leap and Fairfield (his DNF at Wasdale not counted) where his breakaway had come on the route choices of descending. Well, I knew it was a pure running race from here on.
Decided to try to catch Helmo. A more aggressive goal than simply holding off challengers.
Found myself running fast but not all out as we were crossing the gentler slopes towards the river. John went through the gate but Neil stuck with me to cross the river. Arrgh! Fast finish called for.
Heard Neil shouting something aggressive as we hit the Coppermines Road but couldn’t make it out. I just tried to take it as a metaphorical spur into action. Helmo was crossing the Miner’s Bridge and we’d taken a little time out of him to put me 10m back.
I concentrated on a fast turn-over and pushing into a slightly longer stride than gravity alone was offering. John was pushing on too and the gap held. I gained a metre. He took it back.
The road flattened and I made some inroads. I was 70% sure I’d get on terms with him now and 90% sure I could take him in a sprint if it came to that.
I was just off his R) shoulder as we approached the cattlegrid. Despite a couple of people standing there no-one was holding the gate open! We surged into a game of cattlegrid chicken. We got so fast that I didn’t see any option but to try to clear the thing. A wide thing.
Touched down on the concrete at the far side. John said afterwards that I’d gained 3 yards because he’s decided to put a foot on the grid. I took the final gravelly road section as fast as I could without tempting a dose of road-rash and got to the finish a few seconds clear.
With the anxiety of holding off Neil and tussling with John gone, I looked at the people who’d finished in front of me and saw the guys finishing behind me and immediately felt happy with the performance.

Down to my car. Oh my god, oh my quads!

Parked in Kirkandrews-on-Eden. Nice little warm-up/moistening for the shoes!
Nipped down the lane to head E on the Hadrian's Wall Path to get to the furthest W I'd been from Carlisle before. Bit drier underfoot than that day!
Turned and headed further W as the path skirted the village on the N side.
Had to dodge around a slightly chained-up and padlocked gate and then eventually negotiate a very minor landslip before turning where the path met the road in Beaumont.
Good stretch-out afterwards.

2.3% grade at 16.3km/hr.
Not too challenging but 5 minutes felt like a long time!
L) hamstring feeling a little tight but R) glutes ok. Just the odd twinge.

Not feeling very hard at all.
Couch, sumo and straight legged hammy stretches once home.

30x eccentric Achilles.
Had done a bit of foam rolling before this.

Half hour snooze after work then out into a cool grey evening for one of my last runs in Carlisle. Short short and cotton T-shirt were fine though.
Sheepmount Stadium, across the playing fields and along the Eden to the end of the wooded path in 15:49. Don't think it's been that quick before but I was keeping it brisk.
15:27 return journey.
L) forefoot a little sore on solid impacts, nothing too worrying.
Good stretch-out afterwards. Quads knew they hadn't been stretched in a while...

C • you fancying the british re... 5

30x eccentric Achilles

Jumped in Rhys's car at St-John's-in-the-Vale and arrived on Coppermines Road in Coniston just after a Bowland quartet (including Richard Mellon) and just before Paul Cornforth.
Waited for Corny and set off after the Bowland fellas. Just followed the main path up to the lead mines before turning onto the fell.

C • Make sure you don't get los... 7

T-shirt off in the sun. Pretty much up my descent line to the Old Man cairn. Stopped for a few minutes to take in some great views and tighten up the shoes.

Down to the main track.
Stopped for a brief line discussion with an ascending Jamie Luxmoore. Also went past another guy running up the track and Hazel (of Black Combe) was walking up.
Had to wait for Rhys while he re-did a bit at the top.

Back to the car. L) middle metatarsal took a good impact on a rock as I jumped down at one point.
Bit of ice once home.

30x eccentric Achilles

Met Neild at Fellside and did the race loop.
Turned around and ran back to Paul at Knott (got there in 36:20) and at High Pike (adding about 4 minutes to the total). So 65:44 equivalent...
Felt strong.
Didn't quite get the descent right, again! Closer to it though.

30x eccentric Achilles