Wansfell Fell Race

After the Christmas Day run and 65 miles on the bike on Boxing Day it was time for a race.
So Badger and I set off for Ambleside for the Wansfell Race. Yes a good way to just do a short race but we did a run after as well.
There was a good turnout for the registration at the Lakes Runner shop and at bang on 12 o clock we all set off up to Wansfell summit. No flat on this one, just straight up and down.
I climbed steady but could of done a little better. The descent was rapid. I was soon back down to the finish in a blur and it was all over.

So another race ticked off and the last one of the year.
It was a long way for such a short race but definatley worth it. 9th place. Rob Jebb won it on his first race back after injury.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to everyone in Fellrunning land and the cycling world.

This morning we ran to Bramcote Trig for a early Christmas morning run of about 8 miles Nothing special really but it had to be done.

I have vowed to one day paint this trig point. I will run up with some paint and a little roller and do it.
Not sure whether Badger appreciated the tinsle on his collar.

Has he been

How may children have woken on Christmas morning and said those words " Has he been".
Well the clock is ticking down now and we are nearly there. For many adults of my age you tended to have a main present all those years ago. Parents would pay into a Xmas club fund all year at the local bike shop and come the 25th it would be sitting there at 4am all shining.
To aquire a Raleigh Bike was like entering a different would. You had arrived on the cycling scene. Your path would be set
Budgie,Grifter,Burner and then for some like me a racing bike such as an Arena.
Nowadays we pop down to Halfords and just buy one. But in those days the expectation lasted a whole year. Which model will I get.
Driving past the huge Raleigh factory was for me like an adventure. Who worked there???. How did they make such amazing bikes.
There will be thousands of bikes presented on Christmas morning. It doesnt get better than that.

Keswick Below

Why I do what I do

The latest trip up to the Lake District was pretty spectacular. Snow had been falling on the higher fells and in places running was tough going. A quick run up to Skiddaw Little man for a photo or two proved to be a good choice as the sky was clear and you could see for miles. I took a few pictures of some of the surrounding Fells in the distance.
One of the reasons why I run on the fells.

So we came up with this

The first two pictures are what I see should be how womens cycling should be portrayed. Emma Pooley leading Marianne Vos in the Giro Donne ( the last big womens cycle race ). Two great athletes showing us how its done.

This is what I didnt want to see. The lads came up with it.
Enough said eh.
I was reading an article the other day about the difference in salaries in womens and mens racing. HUGE doesnt even come close.
Lets hope it changes

50 x 50

The sport of professional cycling is in a strange place right now. In the current climate teams are cutting back. The mens side of the sport seems to be okay but the womens side is starting to get hit. In my opinion things need to change. We need to start promoting womens cycling more, and in the right way.
With the likes of Cavendish and Wiggins now becoming household names there are more bikes being sold than ever. A new generation is now coming through and they are buying road bikes. To be fair I see a few women on road bikes in the Peak but I cannot help feeling that they are not represented correctly in our sport.
Okay yeah you can go into Evans and fair play to them get a decent womens bike but apart from that there are not many places to go. Okay Im rambling and thats just the bike buying side, but in general the sport has to wider gap between men and women.
Yesterday someone said to me that women cannot ride a roadbike. I was fuming, literally. I took this as ignorance simply because the person that said this to me doesnt know a household name.
Victoria Pendleton I said?????.
Yeah but thats on the track they replied.
I struggled and tried to present the argument.
Ive ridden with women that can match me, Ive been pushed to the limit down the A6 with some of the GB women.
We need more promotion of women on bikes( Simple).
SKY need to step in to be honest. Lets have a SKY womens cycling team to start with and move forward.

Before you go out

Like others when I am on my way home at night and its raining and its winter and its cold and its wet and its blowing and you really really are wanting a night off training I look for inspiration.
A little trick I have used for a few years especially midweek is to throw a little casserole together.
Put anything in it. And yes do afford yourself the luxury of a packet for the stock. ( I know of diehards that make this from scratch, but hey!!!.
Casseroles take 1 1/2 hrs to 2 hrs yeah.
Now the beauty is as you prepare it you cannot pick at anything because the stuff your throwing in are raw. Well okay you can nibble on a carrot but that's okay.
So you don't eat anything, Bonus yeah.
Now all you have to do is tell yourself this.
If I do an hours running I can get back and take a shower and it will be ready. If I do an hour and ten it will taste even better. If I do an hour and a half the meat will be even tenderer.
The thought of a nice tasty casserole bubbling away as I come over the hills back to the smell of it cooking away has been my saviour on many a winters night.
So get your crock pot out . You know the one your Grandma gave you in 1976 and get casseroling.
Now bet your all hungry.

Get ready for winter

Yep its officially arrived. My fingers will remain cold now until Feb/March and every time you set out it will be cold, damp or wet.
Snow I don't mind, in fact I love it, but the dark winter conditions are hard to get through. You have to just push through my fellow fellrunners and cyclists.
It will come. The sun will shine once more.
Set a goal for the new year. Get home from work and no matter what just jump into your kit and get out the door.
We all feel better when we have ( Done a bit) as I say.
The FRA calendar will drop through the door soon with all those events to pick out and dream of.
I keep that picture of Bernaud Hinault in my shed. Mind he got paid a serious amount of money to be out in that weather.
Happy training

Gravy Pud Fell Race

The Bulls Head Pub in Tintwistle is the start venue for the Gravy Pud Fell Race. This year I am told had a record turnout.
Its my first time doing this one as before I know it has clashed with the Tankies Trog race and other things.
The weather was not good en route to Tintwistle and coming over Woodhead the snow was starting to blow in and visibility was not the best. By the time I dropped down a little bit to the pub it was hammering it down with rain.
Quite a few team mates had dared to venture out on such a rough morning and we all had a chat before the start generally moaning about the weather and jokingly questioning why we do this on a Sunday morning.
But we do.
We all line up and co organiser Andi Jones gives us a little chat before sending us away up the fellside.
It took me a while to get in my stride up the incline and I was red lining a little to hold the pace. As it levelled out on the track the numbers thinned out and myself and a Saddleworth Runner kept together. He was strong on the downs and I was strong on the ups but on this day he was just a little faster than me and he would beat me at the finish to take third. The course was quite boggy after the initial climbs and the run back past the reservoir dragged on a bit. The rain was very heavy as I crossed the finish line and I can say that I would not have wanted it to have been any longer than what it was.
A good course though and possibly my last short race of the year.
I will be back for this one now I know the route.
Loads of cakes,tea,t shirts and prizes in the Pub.
Thanks to the Northern Boys Love Gravy guys. Andi and his team did a great job.
www.nblg.co.uk if you want a look