Race Report: Epic Events Delamere Forest Half Marathon

 I have done a half marathon after a weeks skiing before. It did not end well. So doing one with hills was  probably not going to lead to any PBs. But we needed to pick the dog up from that way, and I like Delamere forest, so it made sense somewhere along the line when I signed up. 

Delamere forest is a forestry commission site in Cheshire, and extremely popular with people from across the North West. It has lots of easy walks and is undulating rather than frankly hilly, with the exception of the Pale, a small hill at the edge of the forest. Perhaps due to this popularity, and needing to be out the way before the Sunday crowds, the race starts at 8:30 leading to a bleary eyed morning....

Parking was easy, as the site not has an excellent and sizeable visitors car park. There are also a good number of loos. The cafe doesn't open until after the race starts but is useful for spectators especially as the weather was wet and cold. On arrival, I must confess I really didn't fancy it, but we were there and I picked up my number fairly quickly. I then went and did a mile of warm up in the first forest whilst Martin hid in the car. I was envying those with vans for changing in, and for making brews in. 

Whilst I had registered and parked fine, when race briefing was supposed to happen a large number of people for the half were still queuing. There was a 10k going off as well and so the queue was huge. The race director held the start and I got cold but it wasn't frankly raining at this point, just a steady drizzle. I spotted two other Chorlton Runners but didn't know them. At the briefing, the race director confirmed the detour due to local flooding in one area which meant less bog, which was nice. I'd gone for my Innov8 Terraultra G270s for the race banking on a lot of fire track through the forest, and hoping the grip was still good enough for the rest, though not entirely sure what that would constitute. I also had a pack on with my own water and a gel and a waterproof in. I never used the waterproof but maybe I should have. 

Eventually we all went off down the path that leads from the visitor centre towards the main forest. It was a bit crowded but not too bad. I was happy to jog a bit and let things settle, at least until we were over the railway. It is sometimes a bit hard ot say where you are in forestry commission site as its mostly commercial trees and fire track but the first loop went out towards the mere making for nice views and allowing the race to spread out a bit. I helped a lady who was trying to escape her waterproof bit otherwise it was uneventful at this stage and my legs felt okay if not great (a bit of heaviness after skiing was fine right?). 

At the top of the mere we turned off and did another loop which included the first of the muddy sections and on this there was a bit of chaos as different approaches to mud from the stop and walk to the plough through met a relatively narrow path and undulating track. It was a bit slippy with roots but not too bad. I got a bit held up here but that was fine as we still had a long way to go. We rejoined the fire track, and the 10k route and headed round to what was the three way crossing and the water stop. To my amazement, Martin was there to cheer me on which was very sweet!  

The next loop was the longest loop, taking us out across the road that divides the forest. It was perhaps a bit more undulating than the first loop. Somewhere along the line I began to really start to feel it. I also really needed the loo but popping off the course was potentially going to be tricky. In the end I made a reasonable detour away from the course, lost the pack I had been running in, and snuck in to a bush. A few minutes lost but a bladder full of pain saved. At the back of this loop there was another muddy section and this was bit more tricky as there was a bit more up and down. I nearly pulled half a tree down just by touching it, scaring the lady behind. I was glad to cross back over the road and this time actually stopped for a cup of water as I was feeling a bit warm/ short of breath. By this point I had started to walk the odd steeper hill, but was trying to limit it. 

The final loop before the big hill probably had the most undulation and I was now to-ing and fro-ing with a small pack but felt I was slowly drifting backwards. By this point I had started to walk the odd steeper hill, but was trying to limit it. We crossed the railway line in this section (twice) but I couldn't tell you where we were relative to anything. I didn't mind it but it is weird how disorientating it can be. According to Martin, even the three way cross point marshall were getting confused at one point. I was really flagging by the end of this loop and I shuffled back to the three way point and said to Martin I was struggling. He jogged with me to the corner (mostly as he confessed to being freezing) and then it was back out of the main forest the way we came, including the gradual up hill that  leads back to the visitor centre. There were quite a few people about looking a bit confused at all the runners. 

The last section is the climb up the Old Pale. I walked all of this. My legs had begun to feel like something wasn't firing in them. My calves were like lead and my hamstrings were doing nothing. I am usually a fast walker but this was a slow walk and then I developed some abdo pain to go with it. It was a good track, it was kind of steep but on a good day I am sure I could run it. I just kept trudging on, losing more and more places. I was trying not to be too angry at myself but I was disappointed. I knew I'd walk a lot of this hill but this felt unfair. I didn't pause at the top to admire the view, and the rain was back. Instead, I launched myself down the down hill, struggling even to get my legs to work with gravity. It was mostly very good path apart from one muddy patch where my trainer surprisingly sunk up to the laces and its lucky the momentum let me keep going. 

My watch was only reading 12.8 miles and I could see the finish. It was raining as I bobbed across the line, attempting to put on a sprint but in reality it was a shuffle (Martin has video evidence...). I was pleased to finish but also ready for dry layers and comfort, as well as warm drinks. The medal was quite nice though. I feel I need to go back and do the event some justice, and would definitely recommend it for those with a decent level of fitness and an interest in trail running. That said, there is nothing technical to keep the trail experienced occupied, and the scenery can sometimes feel a bit samey (doesn't bother me, like a forest, but there is only one real view point). Its a good if long entry level trail race. 

Snow, winter running and a pair of mudclaws (an update)

 For my birthday, my partner Martin bought me a wonderful pair of Innov8 Mudclaws. Initially he got quite upset as I didn't wear them for the first race after he bought them, nor my next training run and I had to calmly explain that Mudclaws are quite an aggressive shoe and need a certain type of weather and terrain to get the best out of them. I wore them for the Cross Country match and then through December the weather came.....

I didn't race in December. In the first full week I had a few night shifts then got quite ill with a virus that made me wheezy and run horrible temperatures as well as making me exhausted. My Brighton marathon training which had started promisingly in November took quite a step back here, and I fought through a series of illnesses and issues. That first week also coincided with some of the coldest weather I had ever experienced in the UK, and during a trip to Oxford, the world was completely white. Fortunately the weather had been dry before hand and so the pavements were mercifully unaffected. 

By sheer luck, I managed to miss travelling in the worst of the snow and Manchester wasn't too badly hit. I think Oscar and I had one trip up Rivington to see the snow, and at this point the Mudclaws came in to their own. That week I think pretty much every club run, including the headtorch run, was called off. 

Tiger's clough in the snow

But then the rain came and the frozen pavements caused it to freeze on impact creating sheet ice and the next long run was abandoned due to impassable pavements and terrible stomach issues. Martin's Nana also went in to hospital which was very stressful. I tried not to worry about it too much but this was another long run down the pan after the illness the week before. 

One good run in this period of unhappiness, which also nearly didn't go ahead, was the Christmas club trail run. We nearly nearly cancelled as the roads were so icy and we were worried about the footpaths, travel and everything. But actually, heading up to the Pennines above Rochdale, the roads were better and the snow meant the footpaths were passable. We actually had some snow fall on the Christmas run. I was dressed as Father Christmas with Mudclaws, and had a bottle of rum stashed in my pack. It was a magic run, and, despite all the stress it caused me to help organise it (I didn't do much but it always causes stress) I was quite proud how it turned out. 

Christmas being at the weekend seemed to throw everyone and I spoke to lots of people who felt super manic over this period. I worked Christmas weekend (probably the second worse Christmas ever for me, thank you NHS crisis) but managed ot get one decent, 15 mile long run in beforehand so I could enjoy what I had of the festive period. I did some running over this time including a trail ish half and a bit of tempo before trip up to the north Pennines to see High Cup Nick over New Year. 

The first long run of the new year went relatively smoothly taking me up to 16 miles but then it was work work work up until the annual ski trip a week later. Weirdly, there seemed was less snow in Austria than there had been at times in the UK, but we had a good week skiing and spending time with my parents, and I managed to get out for three short runs including a temp session and session on the Austrian trails (something I'd love to do more of one summer). 

Arriving back in the UK I was signed up for Delamere half marathon which I will try review separately but given I'd spent the day before travelling, it is perhaps not that surprising it wasn't a golden performace. It also wrecked my legs, which were already a bit tense from skiing. Given this, perhaps it is not surprising I had a terrible weeks training off the back of it, with the return of snow and ice meaning there was no long run again that week. There was a trip to Rivington for a trail run with the dog however, and once again the Mudclaws were out. 

After the last crappy registrar weekend at work, I was down to just two nightshifts of my junior doctor career to go as we started this week. It was actually quite a trail heavy week, with hill reps at Rivington, my intervals done on the loop line cycle path (joys of being off in the day), a night trail race and a run and roast, plus a trail (ish parkrun). The long run was a disaster however, with terrible hamstring pain then cramp after mile 13. The parkrun, race and run and roast however, were all enjoyable. I even finished fifth woman at the parkrun, and first CR for the club champs (all a bit skewed by the attendance stats but taking those wins where I can). The Run and Roast took us to a hill I had always wondered how you got up, and now I know! Love a run where you discover a new place, and the eatery at the end needs another visit. 

Night race ready

Now all my trainers, plus my walking boots (I went to Macc forest for a walk on Friday) are drying in the hallway and I must confess, the Mudclaws are currently the faves. After the incident where the sole fell off my Roclite mid race, and the Terraultras that gave me tendonitis, I had given up on Innov8s. But I am back where I belong in them; the grip on a Mudclaw is pretty awesome on soft ground or snow. They are pretty comfy on rock too. You don't want to do too much road in them but for a proper winter trail run they are cracking with good sensation of the ground through the sole and lugs that hold you steady. They even seem to have laces that stay tied (a problem I have with Innov8s, which is weird!). So long live my Mudclaws, that I suspect I will be using right through the muddy, boggy spring when not marathon training on the road. 

Race Report: MACCL Match 2(Kenworthy Woods)

 8am on a Saturday actually constitutes a lie in for me, but with the dog walk before hand and having come off nights, standing in a field at this time, I was a little bleary eyed. Fortunately, a man with a car full of course marking stakes, and Neal who was in charge, turned up and the next couple of hours were spent staking out the MACCL Kenworthy woods new improved course. 

I am not an expert but the reason we needed a new course is something to do with a change in land ownership and the fact the new owners want to protect the pitches. Fair enough but a source of stress for the organisers. They also wanted more money but who doesn't these days. I hadn't really volunteered for much with club of late so made the home XC event my volunteer session for the season. At least by arriving early I got parked okay. 

The course staking meant for once I knew where I was going when the it came to running. It was also quite educational as you ave to think exactly how people can go wrong, where the bunching is going to be and how you can safely get people in. Then you start helping with hte car parking and I must say, Hannah C you are a wonder!

So by the time I was warming up to race, I was already knackered! I stripped down to a long sleeve and vest and shorts (+ compression socks) and felt chilly. It had been a grey morning with threats of rain. I jogged over to the tiny bit of grass with no pitch markings on and did that slightly embarrassing job and drills combo of warming up whilst feeling awkward for taking it seriously when it is clear I am not competitive. Or is that feeling just me? XC brings out my imposter syndrome and also my desperate need to prove myself to my club. 

The new course at Kenworthy avoids what used to be the quagmire just off the start line but now involves a selection of short loops (around playing fields) and longer loops (which take you out in to the woods and scrub land that make up Kenworthy). The first short loop allowed us all to space out a bit before diving through the narrow gate that took us through in to the trees. However, off the start line we had to all go up a short bump which caused a bit of clustering a scrambling . The playing field lap was predictably horrendous on the grass, watching most of the field pull well away from me, but avoiding being lapped. We used to do the first tree lined  section in reverse and I have a terrible memory of starting to walk before realising my boss was marshalling at the end of the path and having to start running again. It actually wasn't as muddy as I remembered but it was still pretty crowded on the course around me. 

We exited this wooded section on to the bumps across the scrub and then it was time for the hills. My legs felt pretty heavy and I didn't feel I was running well. Recently my head has thought I can run a lot better than I actually can, which has led to a lot of heartache. As we started on the section our club affectionately refers to as 'Val's Hills' after our club coach, I managed to over take a person or two, but was starting to question my sanity in doing this, or even in thinking I could do this, that I should be here etc. It wasn't a great headspace with still one more long lap and a short lap to go. After the hills we did a short section across a bit more scrub before popping out on to the playing fields again to start the next lap. 

The next long lap was a mixed bag of losing and winning some places. I did less well on the hills second time around and by the time I popped out on to the playing fields for the final lap I felt fairly spent. The fast guys were flying past and so were some of the medium guys, heading to the finish. As we went past the course split point, at least one girl I was running with didn't do the final short lap, probably entirely innocently. It was a very confusing course and if I hadn't marked it at the start I wouldn't have had a clue! 

I dragged myself around the final lap, and turned in to the finish straight down the short ramp that had created chaos at the start. Only at this point did we pass the club tent again and there was some cheering as I ran in. On the old course we used to pass the club tent each lap and I sort of missed this but given my rubbish performance, at least only those who had bothered to walk out on to the course had seen me floundering around. 

I was glad to finish only to find that one of the ladies who is a good bit older than me had finished well ahead of me. She used to run with me but seems to have gained some wins recently; apparently its cycling around Wernth so I really need to get my bike out of retirement!  

Disappointingly, I am not going to make many of this years cross country races, and the one I desperately want to run (Tatton) is one of the ones I can't make. With marathon training about to start, I really hoped to be fitter but I have to keep turning up, as it is the only way to improve and hold myself accountable. There is no hiding at Cross Country! 

Race Report: Race you to the Summit

 There comes a stage in your life when donning a pumpkin outfit and running up the hill in the rain seems like a perfectly good way to spend an hour on a Saturday. Only me? Oh well. 

Race you to the Summit is a Craggrunner race which in fact goes from a pub call the Summit Inn, and heads up towards Blackstone Edge Reservoir where you touch the wall of the White Inn pub and turn around and run back to pub number 1. Two pubs and the propensity for a bit of mud should be enough but due to the time of year, they throw in encouraging fancy dress and supporting a local charity. It seems to be a winning combo given the numbers today. 

I dragged Martin to Watergrove parkrun in the morning. It was a wet morning fortunately not too cold as we proceeded to be soaked all the way through at parkrun. Martin put in a good first timers time at Watergrove which is one of the more challenging parkrun courses. I had the dog on a hand lead which wasn't the easiest, and I miss being able to use a canicross harness. There were 42 runners today (maybe a few more given a few people didn't have a barcode...Martin). And then we jumped in the car after a quick change and headed to the start. 

It was pretty organised at the start, and we were early. I'd pre registered but there were entries on the day. There wasn't however, much parking except on street. You could have walked up from the train station at Littleborough. There was a board with the route on it and some charity info, as well as an advert for the Stanza Stones ultra next year (looks good but a bit much for me- lonely Pennine bogs for 50 miles is more than Lakeland 50 to my mind). The pub wasn't really open yet but the bar lady got Martin a can of coke to drink whilst I put the pumpkin outfit on. I felt a bit of a tit. No one else was in costume yet. The kids races were going on outside. And my leggings were soaked from parkrun and I had forgotten my race pair. 

Eventually the pub filled up and a few more costumes appeared, along with the odd Chorlton Runner, some of whom had done Todmorden parkrun that morning. A few people were running up and down the lane warming up but I was stood shivering as we headed out on to the road next to the pub and stood on the canal bridge. Rounding up everyone for a team photo was hopeless so we got who we got in a terrible selfie and then got moved back up the road to the start in time for the inevitable car to try drive through the runners. 

From the CraggRunner Webpage

The race started (after the official photo, above, see my social media for the group selfie!) across the bridge, up a short bit of track and then  cutting up a steep ish footpath on to the fell. I tried to run as much of this as possible, aware that the big steep climb was later on, but it was bit congested so I went with the flow. I am not a competitive person and there was no point in this case as I was effectively wearing a sale. It was a grey murky day bit there was some view down the fell towards a reservoir. It was Pennine terrain but the bogs were far from bad. 

At the top of this rise we enjoyed a short drop down towards a farm on a grassy path and I suddenly wondered if mudclaws would have in fact been the better option. Fortunately it was only a short skitter and I was back running but being over taken by some of those I had caught on the up. I didn't feel very balanced or spritely and looking back at the videos of the start, I look heavy and laboured running. 

After another little drop past a farm where the post man was waiting for us to get out the way. Dodging the cattle grid we then began the short introductory climb to what would be the steep and longer climb to the pub. It was a narrow footpath and quite steep in places but definitely not a hands and knees affair. It wasn't too slippery either, with a marked trod. I did worry that it was going to be a mare with faster runners coming back down but the clever Craggrunner guys had us go back a slightly different way at this point. 

One lady passed me on the way up and I felt pretty unfit with burning calves on the way up. But it could have been worse and then we bobbed back out on the the pennine bridleway at the top, and it was more runnable with faster runners coming towards us. I cheered a few of the Chorlton guys and tried to get back running again. I should have pushed more here to be honest as it was a good track with a runnable gradient. But I felt tired and worried about the run back and so let myself off a bit too much. I also couldn't see the pub until we were practically in the car park which made it hard to know how much further to go but you could hear the small crowd from a bit further off. 

I touched the pub wall and turned to begin the descent, praying we weren't going back along the steep section. Fortunately, it was a long section of swooping bridle paths down the first section of the hill. I got over taken quite a bit, seemingly having forgotten how to descend but also with my costume acting as a sail to the uphill wind. I enjoyed this part of the descent, with my hat sort of choking me as I went (see photo) as I knew the part by the farm would be tougher and more slippery following the hundreds of feet churning it up. 

Photo from CraggRunner

A small motor bike appeared just before the farm, but that was it to distract me from the now uphill turn and gradual (deceptively) uphill past the farm. My legs were tired now. I was worried how much I would be able to push on the way back and had the sensation that one of the girls from my club was going to catch me up so I kept pumping away with my arms and legs like a little nut job. At the farm, the horses were going nuts and one of the sheep had gotten out but none of this was my problem. I tried to scurry on above the reservoirs and eventually saw the final descent on to the track. 

At the bottom of the track is a very small car park. Unfortunately for me, it is also a very popular car park and just as I went to cross the car park, a horse box pulled out in front of me and decided to very slowly drive up the narrow road that lead to the finish line, meaning I couldn't run around it. I jogged behind it and finally over the finish line. Someone shouted that Darren should take few minutes off my time for that (obviously in jest) and I saw a few more people get held up by traffic on the way in. 

Given the cold and wet, I let Martin off for hiding in the pub with the dog and not walking up to see me in. I said my hellos and good byes and headed off to get some dry clothes. The above photo made it on to the work WhatsApp chat ruining any kudos I ever had....