Famous Grouse Fell Race

Traditionally one of the last fell races of the year and a special one at that. Part of a group of races held in and around Hayfield it is an easy one in that you dont really need any navigational skills. The first climb from the Grouse pub is tough but then you are away. Ive ran up there dozens of times so I know exactly what pace to go at and also I had another new cap on so all would be okay.
When you get to the top of the climb you hang a left and run up to Big Stone then drop off and head to Peep O day before running along the valley and climbing back up to the track from hence you came. Flat out back down the track and you can then have some chips in the pub.
I had a good run after feeling ill all week. 3rd place and a prize so a good finish to the year.
Loads of Pennine runners out for this one and well done to Andy Howie and the many helpers who made it all happen.
Incidentally I recorded the temprature on my van computer at minus 16 on the way to Hayfield.
Now thats cold.

Okay I give in

Not being able to run because of being a little unwell has been hard enough for me, but for Badger its even harder. He has not stopped pacing around for two days. Last night's forecast was snow and I woke up to about two inches. There was no way we wasn't going for a run so we set off and because I still felt a bit off I was slow for most of the way round.
Badger on the other hand had different ideas and proceeded right from the off to go faster and faster. He kept looking back as If to say, god hurry up this is way tooo slow.
Anyway we got round eventually and I managed a couple of snaps. Great to be ut in the snow. It was bitter and my hands again struggled to function.



Look at his face as if to say, can we really be going this slow.

Thank god thats over

Ask a lot of Fellrunners as they run into the finish of a race and they will probably say never again, yet ten minutes later they will already be thinking hmmm just maybe I will do that one again and a further five minutes after that they will have convinced themselves they are coming back the following year. Last week at the Rivock Edge race I had a good run and another top ten finish and I thought this was my 200th fell race. I was wrong it was my 201st fellrace. So for 201 times I have thought never again yet most races Ive done more than once or twice. Some Ive done every year since I started fellracing.
Its that ability to forget the lows of a race and remember the highs. Hopefully I will experience it hundreds more times. I currently am blogging this whilst I have a fever. I wont say Manflu.
So its time for a few days off. Thats going to be hard. With Badger giving me that lets go for a run look every five minutes.




Great Whernside finish ( Never Again)
An hour after that I was thinking this is one of the best fellraces EVER

Leg It Round Lathkill Fell Race

Wel after a few days on non stop rain and no dry fell shoes I ventured up to Over Haddon to do yet another new race. The Lathkill Hotel provides the start for the annual Leg It Round Lathkill Fell Race which takes you down the valley, along the river, up some steps, over some fields, down a track, back down the river, then finally up some steep climbs at the end. Not quite that simple and it was a really tough race and very fast. I gave it my all and finished well placed again but had to really work for it.
The Lathkill Hotel makes for a good registration venue and they had some nice cakes laid on at the finish. Normally I would have done the Roaches Fell Race but too many years doing the same ones have given me the urge to try and do as many new ones as possible.
The race reminded me of Sheldon with that steep descent at the start. Some said it was an upside down fell race, I just thought it was too damm fast.



A good race and I am starting to get to my goal of nearly completing all of the Peak District Fell Races.
Oh and I can recommend the onion soup in the Pub. It was a really cold day and yet again my hands suffered badly in the cold. Before the race I could hardly move them. Over the last 2 years they have become unbearable in the colder months. I know that in years to come I am going to suffer. Possibly to many years working with angle grinders or I may have Reynauds Sydrome.
Thank god for hand warmers
It seems I am going to have to visit my GP about my hands

technique

Today a fellow work colleague asked me about running technique to get over the fells. My reply was I dont really think about it as I've done it for so long. We then proceeded to have a 40minute conversation about technique's for running uphill, down scree, down grass, over bogs, over slippy rocks, over cattle grids, over stiles, over farm gates (incidentally thats a special one shown to me by someone who is very bloody good at it and better than me at it as well),over slippy wooden bridges, through tussocks, the list goes on.
So technique we concluded is important, but I suspect like me many fellrunners just do it without thinking about it.
My reply to most of these apart from the gate was to just keep looking at the ground.
Views what views.

Cop Hill Fell Race

This race I had never even heard of never mind done before so I made the trip up to Meltham nr Holmfirth. A two lap affair and I think I came 6th. The start was ultra fast as every runner tried to get to the first stile at the front. This meant that loads of runners simply ran off to quick and were soon in oxygen debt up the first climb.
You basically run up to Cop Hill then back down to Meltham and do it all again. The second lap seemed easier simply because I knew what was coming and I had a good battle with the 1st lady who was a Holmfirth runner. I nearly went wrong running back up the track to the finish but finally made it. A good lungbuster of a race. Very quick and maybe not quite felly enough for a true fellrunner but there wasn,t much else on this week so Cop Hill it was.



Photos thanks to Flaming Photography, well done guys , good pictures and like I say I will purchase them for my scrapbook.