Glossop MDOC Orienteering event

The MDOC orienteering events always guarantee a good run, a great test of navigation and equal amounts of fun. So when I heard there was one happening in Manor Park, Glossop, it was a done deal that I'd enter. Taking place on Saturday 24th March the organisers timed it to start after parkrun.

So after a very early start to see Tim off for the 4 Inns race (3.45am alarm!) I got myself across to Manor Park and ran parkrun. Some good socialising with fellow parkrunners and Glossopdale Harriers filled in the 45mins or so until we could start the orienteering course.

Myself, Emma and John all opted for the long course, which would take us out of Manor Park but not by much. It'd been a while since I've done an orienteering event, so my first few check points (CPs) were slower than they should have been. The O-maps never show names and while beautifully drawn, the colours and symbols are different to the usual OS maps I use so it took me a while to sync back into reading things at speed. There's also the scale difference at just 1:5,000 whereas I'm used to 1:25k.

I was the first of us three to set off, and with 3 other courses in the park all following different routes I made sure not to get drawn into following anyone. Do your own nav, trust only yourself.

CPs 1 and 2 in the park were quickly followed by our first CPs out of the park. Down High Street East and I'm onto CP3 quickly, then a long leg (though still only about 400m) to CP4. I could soon see that Emma was not too far behind me. My promise to just have a relaxed run around the course soon turned into 'you're being chased, don't slow down' mode!!  I contemplated just letting her catch me but each time I thought she had me, she disappeared as I pushed on to the next CP.  I was thinking my local knowledge might be helping a little too - o-events are so much smoother if you recognise where you need to get to and just head off without needing to do the micro-nav, especially urban ones.

CP5 and 6 ticked off then round to CP7 - then a long drag uphill to CP8. Surely Emma would catch me on that leg? Nope. I'm dibbing and away as she rounds the corner. By now I'm in O-mode - seeing where the CP after the next one is and route planning as I move. As I left CP8 I knew my route to CP9 so could just run run run. A small uphill road allowed me to plan CP9 to 10, then back into Manor Park.

Quite muddy in places

The great thing about o-events is that there are numerous people all running around clutching maps - lots of hello's and smiles as you pass each other. On this event there were several times where you nipped to get a CP then doubled back....all to the bemusement of non-runners who clearly were wondering what the heck all these people were doing!

Back in Manor Park and CPs 11 through 16 are ticked off. Turn the map over for the remainder of the course all within the confines of the park, but taking you to each far corner. Lots of doubling back, lots of double checking I'd got to the correct CP. I found the numbering of them really confusing. On the map I was going for say, CP17, which on the ground was #103. So I was having to remember two numbers in my head....and then be thinking of the next CP and related two numbers....

By the 20th CP I was quite number fatigued...and still had Emma chasing me down. She was quicker than me from CP21 to 22...and down the steep muddy bank to CP23. I was still in her wake at CP24 and up (past the start/finish area) to CP25 where we took slightly different route, popping out at the CP only just behind her. Emma made a slight nav error setting off in the wrong direction and allowing me to catch her up....and then she paused to recheck her map for CP26 but I know where it was....I overtake....down to the far side of the kids playground and it's just the run in to the finish.

Emma and I at the finish
(despite the banner in the background!)

So much for my easy run round the course. Emma literally dibs right behind me on the final CP and I'm sprinting to the finish....no way is she getting me now. A moot point given she set off after me so is most likely going to get a quicker finish time anyway. But, it's good to push after 6km of running around dibbing CPs (and after parkrun) and it made Emma work hard for the last bit too!!

Great fun. Had Emma not been right behind me my time would have been a good chunk longer. As it was, I was pushed and managed to come 2nd Glossopdale Harrier and 5th overall in the event. Quite probably my highest ever placing!!

Apologies for the lack of photos. If you haven't gathered, I was hot-footing it around with Emma chasing!!

Provisional results here.

New Chew Orienteering Fell Race

The first of the Glossopdale Harriers Fell Champs races was the New Chew Short Score held a few weeks ago. It's a 3.5hr orienteering race from Dovestone Reservoir Sailing Club, and put on by Saddleworth Runners. I ran this race on my own some years ago and knew the area they covered was massive. I was mentally prepared, and this year had fellow club mate Lucy joining me to wander around the course with.

The race didn't disappoint - the biggest area possible was on offer with the potential to get as far out at Holme Moss mast - so I folded the map in half and pretty much ignored the whole eastern half! It was way too big an area for us. Weather was looking decent - clear visibility at the start but a chilly temperature and some snow up on the high ground.

This year there were no check points (CPs) north of the A635 Holmfirth Road so we headed out eastwards to pick up our first CP - 'B' just off the Chew Road. After a decent slog up the road we picked a point to head up the steep slope - it was really steep too, proper grabbing on heather and hoping it held steep! Our nav was spot on and we soon located the CP under a big bouldery crag.

Quite a lot of the CPs were looking to be placed in gnarly nav territory so we picked one we would be confident finding without too much bog bashing. The path by the side of Chew Reservoir was really icy and hard to get any sort of pace going. Heading east over Laddow Moss the path was less clear than I'd hoped. I've never been that way before and imagined it to be a motorway sized path given the areas it connects. The snow patches and innumerable groughs didn't help and we kept losing the path.

I turned to see where we'd come from and noticed the clag coming in. Bugger. Compass out, checked the bearing down a couple of groughs and picked the one most nicely heading where we were going. We eventually got the boundary line, and the fence. Nav choice here...and never being here before I took the safe option to continue south-east on the path to the edge over Crowden Great Brook - right past the marshal point. Then turn south along the edge path before contouring round and into CP 'I' up Oaken Clough.

Nav was spot on and luckily we bumped into a mate who knows the area really well - so I checked if the boundary line had a fence on it all the way south and sure enough it does....great. We navved back heading north west to the fence then followed it back to the stile we'd crossed earlier.  We'd been out 1hr 45 at this point so decided to get back to Chew Reservoir and decide what to do from there.

Nav back westwards was good, recognising bits of the path we'd been on. The decision then was either CP 'C' + CP'A' or just 'A'.  The frozen toes and lack of vis high up made us decide on just 'A'.  'C' would have been a decent and focused challenge and just getting 'A' was good for us.

Down the track we went....toes warming up a little on the way. We didn't pick the easiest of terrain to reach 'A' but it was the foolproof way - handrailing along the obvious wall to the far corner. It included some massive grass tuffs and slimy soggy wetness in between. Not fast going, but the best choice if the clag was down. As it was we weren't pushed for time - we were going to be back well under the 3.5hrs so it didn't matter.

With CP 'A' clipped we ran off the hill and back to the finish at the sailing club. We were almost the first ones back so I grabbed a quick shower and then we settled in to wait for Tim to return. Pie and gravy followed by delicious cakes and tea were well received in the warmth as other runners finished. Tim came in looking quite tired having pushed way out east, but he managed to grab top spot on the short score course. Myself and Lucy were a little lower down the finish table, but not last and no points lost!

A grand adventure on the hills was had, thanks to the marshals over at Laddow and Saddleworth Runners for putting on a great race. Thanks too to the team at the sailing club for sorting results quickly and providing a plentiful supply of food and drinks.

Peak Raid navigation race, Old Glossop

The final race of my Glossopdale Harriers 2017 champs - I needed to do this one to qualify for the overall champs category and I'm glad I had entered. The day dawned beautifully, blue skies and frosty under foot. Less chance of getting boggy feet and ankles with a keen frost, though no guarantee you won't go in a bog monster!

This is a score event (organised by Explorer Events), meaning once you have a map with the check points on you can do as much or as little as you like. I was joined by fellow Glossopdale Harrier Marie and we did the event together - both just needing to finish and get some points to get on the overall champs table, and thus secure a delightful club souvenir at the Christmas Do!

After the usual pre-race faff with kit, pinning on numbers and sauntering the 1km or so to the start point we are ready. First dib at the start, grab a map and spend a few minutes pondering our route choice.  Our aim is to get 5 check points (CPs) and have a good outing. I'm pleased that it looks like we will be able to do a loop route, rather than an out and back.

CP#6, small group of rocks, on rock

We head off towards Mossy Lea and our first CP, CP#7. We see plenty of runners heading south and up the steep bank towards CP#8 - I've been over that way once, and pretty much vowed never again. It's rough, very rocky among the heather and no real trods to speak of. Given our aim, heading for CP#8 and CP#9 would have seriously limited our time and points so we discount them and stay on better ground.

Knowing the area is a massive advantage in these races - there's no place names on the map or contour height markings (the latter I find so odd). Soon enough I'm ditching one of my thermal layers and we are climbing up towards Shelf Benches, along the well worn path towards the pond. Nav is spot on and I'm teaching nav to Marie as we go.  CP#7 is a ruin - one I have passed by so closely many many times yet never seen! That's why I love these events on your own patch, always something new to see.

checking the route

From CP#7 we head up to CP#6.  It's rough ground and we climb~traverse our way to it - being careful not to get drawn along trods that are going away from our tartget. Again, I know roughly where it is but I am glad of a clear day on this one. Low cloud or clag would have made nav more interesting and my approach different. Now on top of Shelf Moor, near The Pike, we are going for CP#5 so it's over to Dowstone Clough then west towards and beyond Dog Rock. I'm pointing out contour features to Marie along the way, this terrain is hard to nav on so not ideal for a beginner but she's picking it up well and reading the ground nicely.

CP#5 is pretty much placed exactly where Tim had hidden his goodie box once so I am familiar with the approach - steep tufty rocky grass....we find a good way down among the rough ground and even include a small bum slide to our advantage. It is meant to be fun after all!!  After dibbing we are climbing back up steeply....our next target is way over in Shittern Clough, CP#3

climbing out from CP#5

From the path along Yellowslacks I know the ground over to Shittern Clough is heather bashing, but also that a way down the path you can then bear right (north-ish) on a burnt patch so we enjoy the free running on the path for a while before beelining to CP#3. We can't avoid the heather completely and it's hilariously deep and holey and still frozen in the shaded north side of the hill as we make our way ever slower into the clough. With CP#3 located in the clough we start the climb towards Cock Hill and CP#2.

CP#3, Shittern Clough - stream, end of path

It's hard to see exactly where CP#2 will be - will it be in the main quarry under the trig or off to the north slightly? We clamber up towards the trig but then head to the top edge of the main quarry....no sign in there so we continue and easily locate the CP in the next bit of quarry. Safe approach needs us to go along and around to it but I look back to see someone clambering down the small crag! With a quick time check we have ooodles of time to head out to CP#1 and get back without fear of going over the 3 hour time limit (which means you lose some - or maybe all - of the points you have accrued).

CP#2, N Crag Foot (under Cock Hill trig)

The terrain here is best described as lumpy - quarry spoils and rocky little trods mean the going is initially slow then we can run a little as a trod becomes clearer. Closer to CP#1 we meet Andy B and Ian O of Glossopdale coming in the opposite direction, who helpfully confirm we are close to the CP and need to just keep going in the same direction. So our nav was reassuringly spot on.

Our final CP - CP#1 old quarry, on ground

Final CP for us dibbed and we have about 30mins to get back to base....3km later and we're back. The run off is lovely, the sun is shining as it has been all morning and we are back to the scout hut really quick. The final dib at the end sees us completing 6 check points in 2hrs 40 or so and 11km covered. Happy with that given we pootled along, I took photos at each CP and we didn't rush any of it.  A refreshing brew and biscuit is welcomed as we socialise with the other runners and await Tim finishing.

Me (left) and Marie dibbing at the finish, thanks to Explorer Events for the photo.

Thanks to Explorer Events - another brilliantly organised nav event. Shame I can't do the final race in the series but it clashes with another local race organised by a mate, Shittern Santa Saunter - a delightful race starting from Howard Town Brewery in Old Glossop.

Peak Raid: Grindleford

With the first snow of winter on the ground myself and fellow Glossopdale Harrier John headed over to Grindleford for the 3 hour score event, Peak Raid. I don't know the area very much at all, so it would be full on navigation for me, rather than recognising features and bee-lining for them. I really wasn't feeling the love for running with the cold temperature, knowing we'd be running in icy wet conditions underfoot. I don't mind wet, but wet and icy are a sure way to numb feet, pain and reduced enjoyment. But, this race was a counter in our club championships so I put those thoughts in a corner of my head and applied Rule 5.

We were allowed to start early, a bonus since we'd arrived early. John was still sorting kit but I was ready so dibbed, was handed a map and off I went. The map was a 1:25k scale, but as is usual for orienteering style events the colours and markings on the map are different to OS maps. It took me a while to figure out what was path and what was a boundary we weren't supposed to cross, and with lots of lines around the start area it was a challenge to see a clear way onto the hill.

Looking back down towards the woods where CP1 and CP2 are

I chose check point (CP) 1 for my first target. Just get running, moving, and dib to settle the 'OMG am I going to find anything' nerves! It was immediately apparent conditions underfoot were horrible. The forest I was running in from CP1 to CP2 was a quagmire of icy muddy rock-strewn-tree-rooted horribleness. And, I'd lost the path between the two so ended up bashing up a short section through the same plus brambles and dead bracken. Nice. The RO told me later that the paths in the woods aren't clear at all, so I felt a bit better.

So I'm now about 15mins in and feet going numb. Not good. My body was warm enough, hands even sweating enough to take gloves off for a while. But feet....gone. Keep moving. That's all I could do to try and get some warmth back to my toes. This was the pattern throughout the event. Toes would get some feeling back, just to be plunged into more icy wet bog or marshy quagmire on the open moorland, or getting the calves cold as well as I bashed across the snow strewn heather to reach CPs or chose to avoid the icy paths by running in the heather to the side.

Climbing up towards open moorland for CP13

From CP2 I climbed up onto the moorland - no idea what its called as orienteering maps don't have names on! CP13 was my next target, a small standing stone at a random point near the path. With good visibility other runners were hitting the CP and making an easy CP even easier.

Now choices. Go on, get CP 15, 14, 10 and then onto 11....and risk feet going silly cold? Or do a shorter route, get a minimum of 5 CPs (my mental minimum on these type of events) and get back a bit quicker to defrost. As I stood at CP13 weighing up the options the wind picked up. I'd got sweaty running up and along the moor, and now the wind chill hit and my body rapidly cooled. That decided it for me. A shorter route, enjoy the good visibility and get back to plentiful cups of tea in a warm room a bit sooner.

As I turned to retrace my steps and pick up the edge path (along White Edge I'm told) a herd of deer ran across the path only 30m ahead of me. Wow. If I'd pushed on to CP15 and the longer route I would not have seen them. Beautiful.

Deer on the horizon and right. Note the wonderfully inviting icy and boggy path in the foreground!

The edge path was decent running, treacherous in places with the boggy bits not quite frozen enough to trust running over, the stones skimmed with glistening ice, and the heather coated in soft wet snow. Pick your best line and go with it. The valley beneath had mist rolling in and out of it making a good distraction from the toe situation. There were more deer on the moors below the edge too, and some highland cows.

The path along White Edge...where it looks clear it was actually ice

I noted the next feature I needed to nav to and tucked the map away to enjoy the run...run walk run, hop, bash toes, slip, fall, run walk....the rhythm went on. Knoll passed (my ticking off feature), I could see the trig point ahead and knew I now needed to bash across open moorland to a 'gulley' and CP11. Other runners once again made the nav too easy; it would have been much different if it were claggy!

Looking back from near the trig point towards CP12 and CP13

With plenty of time in hand I went up to the trig point. Now I can definitively say I have been to that trig...which on checking an OS map is on White Edge/Big Moor. From here I pondered going to get CP4 then CP3, or the other way round. I decided to drop down and across the open moorland to the edge below - Curbur/Froggatt, not sure which. I can safely say if I never cross that bit of land again it won't be soon enough. Horrible marshy, boggy, grass tufty-ness. Plus ice and snow. Yey! I bet it's lovely running there on a dry summers day....not yesterday though. At the edge path my decision was made. My feet were proper numb to the point I was kicking things and not realising until I semi-stumbled.

CP4 was away from the finish and through more forest. I did not fancy an additional 2km in the same stuff I started the run. I turned right and picked up CP3 without any difficulty, returned to the edge path then headed back to the finish. The route back wasn't entirely straight forward...the boundary lines and contours all blurring a little as the wind picked up and my eyes watered in the cold air. I took my time and hit each turn and feature bang on.

I finally got to a point in the forest I recognised, not too far from CP1 I'd clipped earlier and put the map away, with no rush in my legs going back to the finish. I still have well over half an hour to finish in. Then I realised that if someone else got the same points as me time would matter, I'd be best to push on and get back as quick as possible. So, a final lift to the pace and I'm running across the final field, across the bridge and dibbing at the end. 165 points gained from 6 check points, and with about 34mins to spare. Oh what I could have done with a warmer, less icy day. Never mind, I thoroughly enjoyed my run and would like to go back to explore the area again - seek out the deer that I'm told live around White Edge and Big Moor.

Results have now gone live, I finished as 7th FV40 out of 12 (class split results) and 88/115 overall (overall results).

A big thank you to John for driving us safely to the venue and back, and to the race organisers for a well-planned event with copious tea and biscuits afterwards. Superb.

Dovedale Mini Mountain Marathon

Dovedale and the area we'd be running in

I partnered up with Jud, a Glossop Mountain Rescue member and fellow Glossopdale Harrier for this two hour Dovedale Mini Mountain Marathon. It's a familiar format for us, having partnered at the Edale MMM back in November last year - just the difference with this being 2 hours, not 4. It was a humid evening, with a few spots of rain here and there but overall good running conditions. Thankfully not very wet underfoot as the limestone in Dovedale can be treacherous when wet.

Jud on a steep climb, still smiling

We registered, chatted with a few other Glossopdale Harriers also running, and caught up with SBRT who's another regular at these events. At the start we dibbed, got handed a map and then studied it trying to decide which way to go. Jud had run a marathon only 5 days ago, and then proceeded to top it up with an 8km walk - all part of his training for an ultra in mid-August. His legs mostly worked fine, though there were a few words along the way when they started to falter. I should have been fresher than I was, I reckon the twice up the Snake Pass (which is currently closed) on my bike has taken more out of me than I realised. Not to worry, we were out in the hills and amusing ourselves with 'interesting' route choices.

searching for a checkpoint with other runners

looking down one of the minor valleys into Dovedale

We didn't really go wrong anywhere, just didn't take optimal lines or home in on checkpoints as smoothly as we could. The lesson learnt is to trust your instincts and not get carried along by others who may or may not know where they're going. Enough said on that.

meeting up with John S, fellow Glossopdale Harrier
as he climbs out of, and we descent into Milldale

It became apparent about half way round our loop that returning back within 2 hours, and thereby not having points deducted for a late finish may not be feasible. We ditched the idea of one checkpoint, focusing on a return to the finish picking off a couple of checkpoints along the way.  After what seemed like an eternity and a time-warp-distance-sapping run down Dovedale we started on the climb up Lin Dale....onwards and upwards. I'd have loved to nip onto Thorpe Cloud to grab that checkpoint but we were certainly going to be back late so no need to lose even more points. Thinking about it, I'm not sure I have ever been to the top of that place, I must return sometime.

Thorpe Cloud, left for another day

We had a super couple of hours out in the hills, which is what it's all about. Turns out we were 3rd in our category and 55th/107 overall. Pretty good considering we were 8:23mins late and therefore lost 13 points. If we'd been back on time we'd have been about 50th. Many thanks to the organisers, these events are always well set up and the bonus free cake at the end this time was very much appreciated.

Dark & White Mini Mountain Marathon: Edale

Checking the forecast before this event we knew it was going to be foggy in Edale and on the Kinder plateau for this 4hr mini mountain marathon. I double and triple checked that I had my compass packed. It was a necessary item for kit checks, and one this is virtually always in my bag anyway when I'm heading into the hills. Yesterday, it got used. The fog was so thick at times visibility was down to about 50m - even obvious things like a cluster of rocks you can identity from a few kilometers away weren't recognizable until you were stood next to them.

I was running with Jud, a friend from Glossop Mountain Rescue Team, so I was fairly confident we wouldn't get properly lost. We didn't. But we did take a few interesting routes to a couple of check points. I was mildly nervous before the start. Having only recently come through rehab for a calf strain I haven't run more than 90mins since mid September (just checked, didn't know it was that long). On this type of event though, for me at least, it's all about sustaining a pace that you can go at for the whole event, so no point blowing up on the first hill. Tactics were to walk the up hill bits and run where we could.

After registration it was outside for the kit check and dib at the start as we were handed the maps. Great to see no check points (CPs) on the Mam Tor ridge, and most seemed to be on the southern edge or Kinder. Slight relief that we wouldn't have to navigate across the plateau in such testing conditions.

We decided on a vague route, agreeing that we'd keep on eye on the watch, distance out from the finish and energy levels.

Our first CP was 15, and we both knew the route to it so maps away and off we went. The scale of the map was 1:30,000, so not massively different to the scale I'm used to (1;25,000). After finding CP15 it was an uphill slog to CP16 at the end of Ringing Roger, which on a clear day would have been very easy to find. First slight error of the day put us on the path on the easterly side of the point we wanted, but recognising the path thankfully only cost us slightly.

Next up CP 14 which I felt was not entirely in the right place, though the description was right. Back on the edge path we soon found CP12 and onto CP5....our plan next was CP4, but after a discussion decided to beeline (in a very round-about-way) to CP1 and bag 40 points over at Edale Rocks. We navigated back to the edge path much quicker, then dropped into The Cloughs for CP4, a quick hello to a few fellow Glossopdale Harriers hacking uphill, and we were descending steeply through dead bracken for CP3.

We were quickly on a good path heading to Upper Booth, and a left turn uphill for CP9. Quick calculations of ascent and distance back to the finish to CP10 meant that we were going to have to push in the final 30mins to get back without a time penalty. Navigationally it went really well here and apart from not knowing if we were slightly above or below CP10 we got to it in 14mins. Really good going after 3.5hrs and with a climb of about 140m from the last CP. We now had around 19mins to get back to the finish. I roughly calculated about 2km, but we had a tufty grass traverse to do for about 500m then a steep rocky descent to lose about 250m before the final 750-800m on tarmac down the road. It was going to be tight.

The fog was still thick, so anytime myself and Jud were more than about 20-30m apart we faded into the shadows. I kept pushing on the traverse, knowing if we went a walking pace we'd be in time penalty's. Finally we got to the path, had safely avoided the out-of-bounds area and were on the rocky descent. The couple of fields we had to cross were lovely soft springy grass so we could stride out for the first time. Then tarmac and only just over 4:30 mins left. I've run this road before, and it always goes on for longer than you want so I upped the pace and pushed us in to the finish with just 42secs spare. By my watch we had 53secs, so always good to go that bit harder than you want. Superb running by Jud, we did our fastest kilometre on that final one, pushing a sub 5min/km pace is not an easy thing to do after 19km and about 900m of ascent.

The soup, bread and cake was very welcomed once we'd changed and got inside the village hall. Thanks to Jud for being a super running and nav partner, and to the organisers for a great event. Nice to see friends and familiar faces in the hall too, sorry I missed a few people...until next time.

Janathon #31 and reflections

Today marks the end of the Janathon Challenge. When I set out to do this it was a snap decision. I didn't know if I'd manage it but I was determined. The plan was very vague, but essentially I decided to vary the distance and types of runs I would do, that way putting less stress on my body. It has worked well. There's been no signs of injury or even a slight niggle, and no signs of overtraining. My weekly distance is slightly above what I normally find comfortable, but with most of the runs being fairly short it hasn't felt like I've been doing 50km+ weeks at all.

I can honestly say there were only a couple of days I really didn't want to get out and run...but actually those days were more about the weather than running. We've had some very wet days, some cold days and a fair amount of chilly winds blowing through. Having this challenge to complete has really helped me push and get out there. Here's a summary of each day, you'll see that on some I've been out twice, on a couple I've also done a bootcamp. What's not shown here is the strength and conditioning training I have also done which averages out at twice a week.

1 - 5km
2i - 5km
2ii - 2km barefoot
3 - 7.4km
4 - 2km barefoot
5 - 10.28km fell run
6i - 5.4km
6ii - 3km run to bootcamp and back
7i - 2km barefoot
7ii - 2.67km with janathon buddy
8 - 8km Dawn Patrol
9 - 8km
10 - 2.15km barefoot
11 - 10km on Longdendale trail
12 - 11.17km fell run
13 - 2.12km barefoot
14 - 8.63km mixed road/trail
15 - 8km Dawn Patrol
16i - 17km trail
16ii - 3km barefoot
17 - 5.6km
18 - 8.22km Copenhagen city tour
19 - 3.62km Copenhagen lake tour
20 - 3.17km barefoot
21 - 8.55km
22i - 8km Dawn Patrol
22ii - 7.2km night nav
23 - 2.5km barefoot
24 - 4km very steady (saving myself for #25)
25 - Kinder Trial orienteering fell race
26 - 3.4km barefoot
27 - 5.6km
28 - 3.8km barefoot
29 - 7.4km
30i - Global Therapies Social Run
30ii - 4km run to and from Bootcamp
31 - 4km barefoot. longest barefoot run to date.

Totals:
37 runs
222.1km
5616m ascent
29hrs 14mins

Thanks to everyone who has joined me on some of these runs, especially Tim who continues to be a wonderful inspiration.

Kinder Trial 2014

Me and Lis getting our first sight of the map

It's been two years since I last did Kinder Trial orienteering fell race in 2012.  At that point in my running career I'd not done many fell races, and I'd never run the distance or potential duration of the event before that day. I ran with a couple of other Ladies from Glossopdale Harriers on that occasion, and to be fair, they pretty much dragged me round the second half. It was tough going, there was a good 6-12 inches of snow on the ground, and I felt totally shattered at the end.

Lis clipping check point #2 above White Brow

This year I hoped to be much stronger (and for no snow which thankfully we didn't have). Certainly I felt like I was stronger, and the distance/time element didn't bother me at all. I've done plenty of runs around and over 20km (and 25km), and spent a fair number of runs on the hills over 3 hours, and several over 4 hours. What I was most happy with was that I was running the race this year with my very good friend Lis. We have a regular weekly running date, and have been mostly consistent with our runs. Slight hiccups with Christmas and illness for both of us have interrupted our plans to get Lis' mileage up, but we had a pre-defined goal for the race: we were going to have a fun and relaxed day on the hill. No pressure. No 'racing' around like headless chickens. We weren't even bothered if we didn't finish the course. The plan was to enjoy some time on the hill together. And that's what we did.

Dropping down to check point #3, Rowan Tree

Lis running down the horrendous grass tufts from CP#4 to CP#6. Kinder Downfall blowing up in the distance

Climbing up from check point #6 towards CP#8 in the enclosure

We'd said we would be out about 3-4 hours, having regular reviews of how we felt and what was coming up. By the time we got up onto the edge of Kinder we'd been out about nearly 2.5hrs and after a good look at the map we decided to head back in, and technically 'retire'. This turned out to be a good plan...

Looking back towards Sandy Heyes

We made a final push up the steep slope to the check point at Kinder Cavern - our eighth CP and last, then headed back to Hayfield via Tunstead Clough Farm. After about half an hour of tea drinking, cake eating and soup slurping there was an almighty hail and rain storm that blew over. We were very happy to be inside and dry!

As is usual after orienteering races there was a lot of chatter about route choices among the runners. The general feeling seemed to be that this year was a long and tough course, with plenty of options on route choice to be made, rather than all following a more or less defined route dictated by the check points. Thankfully when we were out the sun was shining and the wind wasn't as bitterly cold as it has been recently so we had the best of the weather. 

Mulling over the map I'm sure I could have finished the full race route, but seeing the distance run by others, and ascent, I reckon there would have been another 7-8km and at least another 300m ascent for me to do. That would have made a very tough race and a very tired me. As it is, I feel really good, ready to run again tomorrow and not totally destroyed. The bonus being I got a good few hours chatting away on the hill with my mate, totally enjoying the scenery instead of rushing around and missing it all. Mission complete.

A big thanks to Andy H and his gang of helpers for organising the race, especially the cake/soup makers and those serving drinks/soup in the scout hut afterwards. Having spent some time with Tim helping to put out controls for another event on Bleaklow/Kinder tonight (the marmot dark mountain marathon) I know how much work goes into setting up these events. Well done Andy and your team. We'll be back next year!

Other blogs about this event:

Run Forest Run! well done on the completion this year sbrt!

testedtodestruction

Janathon #23 and #24

Slight delay in blogging about yesterday's run as I was immediately busy with work for a few hours, and then on a train down to London to see a lecture by Ueli Steck, an uber famous but - in his words - a very normal mountaineer. He is such a humble person, and so so inspiring. The talk was titled "Driven" which pretty much sums up his attitude to everything he does, even relaxing. Tim's blog about the event sums it up nicely.

It was a long day, so managing to get my run in before 7am was lucky....I didn't end up getting to bed until about 1am - 3hrs after my usual bed time! Anyway, my run yesterday was the second of this week's barefoot runs; 2.5km at 180bpm. I'm really enjoying the barefoot runs and it is feeling easier every time. It's still a little frustrating that I'm being held back (because of the research project) with the distance I can do. But, gradual process is good as there's much less chance of injury or muscle strain.

Today's run was a short blast up on a local hill out of Glossop. We fitted it in to the day in between work and the heavy rain which was forecast. Luckily we made it home before any heavy rain arrived. A short run today was deliberately planned as I'm racing tomorrow in the Kinder Trial orienteering fell race - that ones around 20km, depending how good my navigation is! I last did this race a couple of years ago, and I'm very excited to be running tomorrow with a very good friend - we're going to have a great few hours on the hill. So, with that in mind today we just ran under 5km to blow the cobwebs away and see the view, which was actually quite hazy so here's a view up the hill instead of into the distance:

the edge of Bleaklow

MDOC Street League 2013-14 - Event 4 - Glossop

Last night saw the coming together of 40-odd fluorescent clad runners in Glossop.  It was the 4th event for the Manchester District Orienteering Club (MDOC) in their Street League and being on my doorstep it was perfectly located. Ten Glossopdale Harriers were in the event so it was going to be a good test of local knowledge. I was taking part for fun with no expectation of getting a good rank, but as it turned out I was first Glossopdale in the Handicap results. I'm very happy with that, especially after a slight disappointment of losing 50 points - three incorrect check points to blame for there!.

Starting from Norfolk Square the event was very friendly and relaxed. No mass start, just each person dibbing in turn at the start, being handed a map and setting of in a direction of their choosing. I left just before Tim and decided to head onto very much home turf...up onto Shirebrook. I was initially confused by the scale of the map (1:12500) - twice as big as I'm used to looking at. The map also doesn't have street names, or major landmarks like churches so even for locals there is some element of challenge.

Then came the route choice decisions to get the best point values, remembering what some of the clues meant, such as 'H on TP', and occasionally getting slightly (but temporarily) displaced. So much for local knowledge helping! I think the pressure of 'racing', even though I wasn't, and the clock ticking caused a few not-so-intelligent route choices. I didn't make any major errors, but could have definitely been slicker in places.

Anyway, I cleared all of the check points on Shirebrook, took a couple near Pye Grove then over the very muddy fields to Old Glossop. I cleared all but one in that area then got a couple more around High Street East (should have got those on the way up to Shirebrook). I kept a watchful eye on the clock, still enough time to grab some more. I do find it hard to judge distance and approximate travel time whilst on the move...that's the pressure of racing that must surely get easier with more practice.

I then worked my way around the cricket ground, finding a path I've never been down before, under the railway to the football ground then grabbed a couple more CPs off High Street West before heading back to the finish. A very welcome mince pie was awarded to all finishers, Tim coming in just a few minutes after me and looking like he was going the win the prize for muddiest runner of the night.

Looking at the map afterwards I could have got more points by going that little bit further (the beauty of slow deliberation over a pint!). Again, more experience gives you the confidence to make those decisions. But, I only had 4 minutes spare so I'm pleased with what I did. Totting up my score afterwards I had a healthy 990 points...reduced to 940 for the incorrect three CPs.

Provisional results are on the MDOC website here. I hadn't realised that the final positions would be based on points per hour...so the guy who came first only went out for 45 minutes. Good to see a few youngsters out with parents, and several familiar faces from Pennine, Stockport and Goyt. Many thanks to Grahame (organiser) and his band of helpers, superb event - can we have another in Glossop soon?

Here's a link to Tim's blog about this event.

Navigation Training

I joined Dave Taylor, aka FellRunningGuide on his intermediate navigation course yesterday and learnt loads. We met at the wonderful Crowden Youth Hostel and started with a short classroom session. Dave explained the structure of the day, quizzed us about our goals for the session and gave an overview of the key navigation skills we'd be covering that would help us reach our goals. For me, I needed help with pacing when running, running on bearings, contour interpretation and knowing what to do when not really sure exactly where you are (that's different from being lost, honest).

The Crowden valley gives lots of opportunities for seeking out tiny features - river junctions, kinks in groughs, sheepfolds, ponds (that may or may not be there), spot heights, trig points, wall junctions. These were all features we were tasked with finding. But the object of the day wasn't just to locate the feature. Dave was really good at teaching us how to work out how long it might take to get there, what may slow us down, what to use to help you find something (intermediate features, bearings, handrails and attack points) and how to know when you might be close but not quite on the right track (not that we spent very much time on tracks or paths!). All very useful given that a good proportion of the day was spent in the clag, with snow billowing around us making visibility greatly reduced. I was thankful I'd packed hand warmers as the stop-start nature of learning to navigate on the hill meant my extremities quickly chilled.

All photographs courtesy of Dave Taylor, Fell Running Guide.

Westerly bearing following a grough....until ground drops off, turn north for 400m....then find a pond 100m to east (which we did).

see that....it's snow, buff over the ears to stop them filling up!

the most layers I've ever worn when out running, it was quite cold

more clag, following a grough but still climbing

success, the wall junction was located

The key things I learnt during the day were timings and pacing when running - it is totally different to walking. That sort of goes without saying, but you try running on tufty grass, following a bearing, dealing with sleet and snow being blasted into you at 20mph, counting your paces and watching the elapsed time - it's a lot to take in. To get a grasp on this a little better is great. It's all the stuff I do when running round on orienteering races and often when I'm just out on the hill. So if I'm better at making decisions I should in theory be quicker. Learning how to cope with all the demands, and understanding the subtleties of the terrain so you know exactly where you are (or when not quite in the right place) is brilliant.

I feel much more confident about being out in claggy weather (or at night) and knowing how to locate somewhere. I sort of did know this before the day, but had been very reliant on just following my nose and 'sort of knowing' where I was. I'm sure one day I'd have come unstuck, and given the rough terrain and wilderness on Bleaklow and Kinder (my back garden as I call it), the last thing you need if you suffer an injury is to know 'sort of, vaguely where you are'. Mountain rescue will get to you much quicker if you can give them an exact location (plus grid reference) should they ever need to be called out. I now feel better equipped and will be out there in all weathers practicing. I've got a race coming up in a few weeks too so will see if the practice pays off.

The day with Dave was great, I'd highly recommend him as a navigation and fell running guide. Even though I know he's a much faster, stronger runner than I am I felt at ease and not once under pressure to go faster or feel like I had to keep up. The day has also consolidated the great work of Ruth Taylor and Andy Turner, the two guides I had on my Walking Group Leaders Award training from Peak Mountain Training. Many of the messages from all were repeated and while the day with Dave focused on running navigation the principles from each were strengthened.