As usual, summer is flying by. After a very dry April, May started with some wetter weather but then everything since has been erratic. We have intermittent heat waves (mostly in the South) interspersed with muggy weather and the odd storm. It is all very British.
(PS I am going to do some rambling for about three paragraph, if you are here for the recce skip down a bit)
Remarkably, the weather for midweek racing has been pretty good! And I do love my midweek racing. And worse, I now have a coach who doesn't object! (Perhaps as I have nothing mega in the diary for a while). So I have been happily filling my boots where I can (though no mad three races in 7 day streaks this year, I am officially too old). The first race of the season was Rainow 5 in which I was still knackered from two weekends in tents with activity. It was a corker of a turn out for Chorlton Runners, and despite not quite getting a PB (and having a real sprint for the line at the end) I had a reaosnable run. Then the following week I broke with tradition and was in Shropshire for the Caradoc classic which was a new race and new racing area for me. Its a bit different down in Shropshire, that is all I will say. Most people were lovely. The race itself was a steep old up followed by some up and over at the top and then a really steep down (which I made hard work of) with a lead in and out on a farm track. I finished very near the back but my Mum got to watch me race which was lovely. Back on tradition, I managed to miss the Blackstone Edge race by getting stuck at work....one day. So there was no racing that week until the Calderdale relays at the weekend which were a bit of a mad last minute affair. I was back on leg 2 and having had no warning to recce, I managed to get round with only one nav incident (from which some Marsden Racers kindly saved us, we were much obliged). Paired another fitter runner, I was ever nervous but in the last section we were overtaking on the second hill, having paced the route relatively well. Being an old hand has to count for something right?! We even finished one place up. I spent the rest of the day running around organising lifts but I still love that race and doubtless will get involved next year. Then for the final week of May I made it to a Harrocks hill and accidentally ran a PB (if not by much). It was a last minute decision to go but I was so glad I did. I may well not make another one. All of the above I think I have blogged about before (except Caradoc) so I haven't put in details but do go have a read if you are curious.
In June I swapped Wednesday for Thursday with two local Winter hill races. The first was the Leo Pollard, which started with a downpour and ended with glorious views across to the sea. The have changed this route since I last ran it, and then on the night cut it down even further. I hadn't felt very energised at the start and probably didn't have an amazing race but with two trips over the pike, one over Two lads and getting to the masts, it had enough elevation to give me tired legs the next day. And I missed out on food at the Brewery which closes at 9pm on Thursday sadly! The following week we attached Two Lads from the opposite side of the hill, and my lovely coach Rowan had come down to join the race (he was once a local lad). Nothing like having your coach watching to make you move but even then, I felt very heavy on the way up the hill, walking where I really ought to have been running. I think perhaps I am carrying a few extra pounds and a lot of fatigue. But I had a really good run down the hill that night, feeling a confidence in descent I have missed for years. The start and finish of two lads are bit tarmac-y but you get a good run out along the moor between, and the have slabbed over the bog at the back of the Two Lads which was both disappointing but also a bit of a relief on both races.
Amongst these I have also managed to get in three of the four Peak Raid Anytime events which have taken me to some fab places. The first one was at Tideswell where I had never been, and Oscar and I had a fun if not competitive run over hills and Dales in the sunshine, marred only by some bad map folding, This was at the start of April and it was a lovely warm day. There was then a massive gap as I didn't get the second one done in the release month, instead slotting it in at the start of June. This one was a very different run, over at Flash, taking me a few places I did know. I was perhaps a bit more competitive with this run but also enjoyed bumping in to a few other people doing the event which was lovely. I found the going tough, and knocked out some big elevation (for me) but the navigation was fairly bob on, and the timing worked out to within five minutes of the end (which over two hours is good for me). However, the weather was fairly unseasonal- Oscar and I were blown about on the high moors and then drizzled on intermittently. But only 3 days later I took my sister out with me to enjoy a run at Over Haddon and it was wall to wall sunshine and we had to worry about the dog overheating. This was a much better run even if I lost 15 minutes running in circles at the end of a dale, completely unable to orientate myself and relying on a compass to get us back on track in the end! We discovered lovely dales and a potential swim spot, cruised across fields and dodged cows. We finished with some well earned orange juice and lemonade at the pub at the end. Lucy, my city loving sister, actually enjoyed the country side it was that good!
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I took a full week off running to take my Nan to Scotland. I haven't done that in a long while, but it just didn't fit in what was an awesome adventure to the Machars peninsula and forest of Galloway. The joy of having nothing big in the diary is that it doesn't even matter. The next month is also looking a bit flat racing wise due to oncalls, dog care and another Scotland trip. A few races I might have done fall when I am away, but everything else feels a bit far or I just can't get there. But things are in the diary for August so fingers crossed.
Which brings us on to the Recce....(you can stop scrolling now)
The Groovy Kinder Love is a well established but quite intense race out of Hayfield. Last year (ish) they introduced a shorter, less elevation route for the nervous, though I think the event director argues those doing it could easily do the the long one (he lies, I defintely would struggle) and they have optimised it for this year. However, I trust no race that involves Kinder so decided a recce would be helpful. With an alleged heatwave setting in, and managing to talk poor Brian in to coming out for another long run, we agreed an early start to avoid the heat and set off from the Sett Valley car park at 8:45 with another Chorlton runner, Alistair, in tow. The promised heat had most definitely not arrived and we were being drizzled on, with cloud sitting low across the Kinder massive.
The first job was to navigate Hayfield, which was not yet busy but not quiet either. We trotted down the valley road, me noting the electrice box which marks the start line. Fell running is a glam sport. We continued down the road, which will make a fast start until the path that leads to the campsite where we swung to the right and start to climb. The side of the climb is a woodland but the path was mostly well made with patches of rootier, rockier sections. Initally its gradual then a bit more steep. before popping out on the fell. Here, we left the main track and climbed more steeply on a grassy bridleway rising towards the cloud. At the top of the field, rather than go through the gate that was ebing intermittently used by mountain bikers (I could hear the hinges in the gathering mist) we turned left towards a ladder stile, following the wall to avoid the worst of the bog. In general, the ground is still relatively firm in the Peaks, but the recent rain has given it more squig than back in April, and made the undergrowth lush and fast growing.
Now we climbed steeply on a narrow trod, into the cloud on a narrow, deep trod with uneven rocks set within it. It probably wasn't even that far but withthe fog, you get that endless feeling. We took the trod to the left as the ground flattened and this took us out to the rocky edge where we looked down in to the white. We do it for the views you know. We then ran along what felt like a ridge that dropped away and part of my brain panicked at the drop to either side but in reality it was a trick of the cloud.At the very top of Mount Famine was a cairn and a memorial. Still unable to see the view we carried on down to the bridleway on a unremarkable trod.
The race isn't going up to South head this year, so we should have turned left at bridleway, but I was following the Pennine Ridge Fellrunners recce GPX from a few years ago, so up we went again, which I am not sure Brian appreciated. There was still no view on south head and having gained an extra 50 meters we now dropped down a steeper trod, to cross the bridleway again, and then head off in to the mist (which was starting to lift with the eye of faith).
After starting with a heck of a climb, it was nice to hit a flatter moorland section, springy exposed dried peat. Dropping a bit lower the cloud lifted for a bit. The path was generally good and turned to flags. It was net uphill but in a gradual runnable way and we made a bit more progress along here. My short fat legs like a flagged path, though I know not everyone is a fan. We went past the turning for Brown Knoll and Alistair decided to go and tick it off whilst Brian and I carried on. And the path started to drop down gradually from here, in a section that is always longer than I think, down to the crossroads at the top of Jacob's ladder.
The gate at the cross roads has one again been smashed to bits. Its wooden and it gets a lot of use, a lot of weather and I suspect a little bit of angry hiker abuse (we all get a bit aggressive trying to fiddle with a latch when hungry, no judgement). We chatted to a mountain biker briefly who I think thought we were mad, and then also two other runners passed us. We hadn't seen many people until this point, but now we were on the Pennine highways (way and bridleway) and it suddenly felt relatively busy. The cloud was still down above Swine's back, but we could see people coming out that cloud. There were also several DofE groups looking different levels of dejected. The full race does a lap of Jacob's ladder....I did not fancy it even on the recce.
But we soon regrouped and started up the climb to Edale Rocks against the tide of Pennine Way walkers. It was mostly a walk for us too, but occassionally we got a little jog on occasionally. I was weirdly sweaty given the cloud being down, but there was no wind to speak of, a rarity on Kinder! It is a decent trod but just before Edale rocks (the second set of rocks, the one above Swine's back) there was a grass trod I might use on the race if the checkpoint is south of the rocks and allows it.
At Edale rocks, there is a route choice and you can go full cross country if you want to. I was quite happy to fillow the trod and hit the flags off Kinderlow. The damp long bog grasses made for a lovely setting as we did the flagged section. It then thins out a bit before you drop between the rocks and down a really steep set of the most uneven stairs I have done in a while. It was not pleasant as far as descents go, but I suspect no one will be getting down it fast. And its not too long. Brian found a trod near the bottom off to the right, cutting the corner, but I missed it and he said it wasn't the most defined. It migth be worth taking if you are good on little trods though (and can spot it).
The path along broad clough is initially really good, then after the stile on the left, a lot more narrow and trod like. It then drops quite steeply and I nearly skidded over in some sheep poo. Nice. I managed to get Oscar running behind me and we dropped down to the nice brook. We had done this last section of the route in reverse on a club run and I was now of known territory. This sort of helped but also I realised it was not the flat some of the trio were hoping for on the way back. The main race here would climb to the plateau again, going relatively cross country. Instead, we on the Baby route marched rather than ran up the grassy field ahead of us (which is much nicer as a down hill I must say) and joined the track at the top before cutting the corner on a convenient trod to right.
The run down to the River Kinder is nice. It a broad track with a cheeky cut off at the end that nips the corner. There was a family with a group of kids at the brook. And now we were right out the cloud. The sun was actually starting to shine. And we were now a bit steamy with the sweat finally starting to dry off our clothes. Brian filled up his water bottle in the river, and Oscar had a a good old drink. I am always nervous of big rivers like this, preferring small springs vwhich I found 15 minutes later, but Brian is an old hand. Alistair, still slightly new to fell running, thought we were both mad (but was very polite about it).
I noticed on the next section Brian was lagging a bit moore behind despite it being quite nice and runnable (head to the wall corner and follow the reasoanble trod along the wall to the path that takes you to a gate and then a wooded section of path along to the top of the reservoir and Benny's bridge). When we reached Benny's bridge we stopped to assess the situation. There was a large group with kids (possibly a school group) as well as two sheep at the bridge, and one sheep was accepting patting by the kids, which is quite unusual. I gave Brian and Alistair the option of going on up to the shooting hut and the rest of the route, or the bridleway along the reservoir. We went for the reservoir and mercifully it wasn't too busy as its quite narrow and a very popular walk. With the sun coming out, as had the people.
The full race goes up William Clough from here. This is afun ascent of Kinder but not as your ?4th trip to the top, and not with any time pressure. I did not envy them the thought. The Baby goes up the steep ramp then gradually climbs along White Brow on rocky but obvious footpaths toward the shooting cabin, then joins the meandering Snake Path across Middle Moor that drops in to Hayfield. Its mostly quite good underfoot, and a gradual descent making it relatively fast, with a nasty steep rocky bit before you are spat out on to the road to run through the village to the Scout hut on the other side. But given I know it and another climb was not necessarily going to improve the outing, I was happy with the group decision.
Rather than take the road (when we hit it) right along the valley, we took the nice riverside footpath and then the bridleway to Hill houses before picking up the road to Bowden Bridge. In hindsight, it was perhaps a bit mean but that much road would have depressed me. And we did get an ice lolly at the ice cream van. The car park was rammed and there were now people in all directions after the solitude of the fog. We jogged across the campsite and along valley road back to Hayfield which was much busier than earlier, with both cars and walkers. But there was a table in the Tea Emporium, which proved to not be coping particularly well with the numbers of people (especially as Rosie Lee is closed now). We chatted as the high stress of catering raged around us.
I am a bit more nervous about the race having recce'd it. I am glad I now won't be worrying about route, just lines. But my hill fitness may be lacking. And 45 minutes to the top of Mount Famine seems much harder than I thought. Let us hope for the magic of race day!
