A Lake District Special!

It’s been a jam-packed weekend, and there are plenty of exciting things coming up over the summer. This week I am using my editorial advantage to alert you to upcoming events first!

DATES FOR THE DIARY

August Monthly Mashup: Mini Mountain Marathon Saturday 21st – Sunday 22nd August

If you are planning on taking part in the MMM, please please fill in the entry form as soon as you can. Ian and I really want it to go ahead, but the way it’s looking at the moment there just aren’t enough teams to make it viable. In order to persuade the unconvinced amongst you, I have fabricated some “FAQs” which I hope will be helpful!

“What if I’m not very good at navigating?”
This is a really great opportunity to get some navigation practice in. Unlike in a normal mountain marathon, we will not be removing the place names or landmarks from the map, making it that little bit easier. Being on home turf is always an advantage, too. If anyone does get hopelessly lost, we will help you! Nobody will be abandoned, you have my word!

“What if I don’t know how to use a compass?”
I (Immy) will be running a couple of sessions in my back garden over the next few weeks covering basic compass work, planning for score courses, and navigation strategy. I’ll post some possible dates for these this week and work out what’s best for people!

“I don’t want to carry a tent.”
Well firstly, that is not a question. Secondly, you don’t have to! Ian and I will transport your camping equipment to and from the campsite!

“What if I don’t even own a tent?!”
Please don’t let concerns about equipment put you off! If you’re short of anything, please get in touch. There are plenty of well-equipped, friendly club members and I’m sure we’ll be able to arrange for people to borrow what they need.

“I don’t know if I can manage that much running, two days in a row.”
The second day will be a score format course, starting in Edale and ending in Hayfield. There will be 4 hours available to go to as many or as few checkpoints as you want to, meaning that there is plenty of time to just have an easy walk back to Hayfield on the second day if that’s your preference!

“What if I don’t have a partner?”
Let myself or Ian know! We will pair you up with anyone else also looking for a buddy!

“What if I’m worried about sharing a tent, either because of Covid or for other reasons?”
That’s fine – as you don’t need to carry your camping equipment, it will be easy to pack two tents and camp separately!

If you have any other questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch! And for anyone who has missed the details, here they are, along with the link to the sign-up form:

The next Monthly Mashup, the Mini Mountain Marathon will be taking place Saturday 21st – Sunday 22nd August. Ian and I have tried to give you the best of all of the various MM styles in this mini version, so the format is as follows:

Day 1
Staggered starts between 12 and 1pm from Glossop Leisure Centre.Drop off your camping kit with Ian and myself (maximum pack size 50L). We will transport this to the campsite for you.
Linear course (approx. 10.5 miles). This means you need to go to all of the designated checkpoints in the correct order! You will be provided with a map on the start line.
Finish at Newfold campsite in Edale.If you want to go into Edale for tea/drinks, you are welcome to! If you’d like to do this I would advise that you book a table in advance as Edale is expected to be very busy this summer.

Day 2
Staggered starts between 8 and 9am. Leave your camping kit with Ian and myself. We will transport this to the finish for you. Score course, 4 hours. This means you have a choice of checkpoints. You can visit whichever ones you like within the time limit, with the aim of collecting the highest number of points you can. You will be provided with a new map on the start line. As with all score courses, there will be points penalties if you arrive over time!Finish at the Royal Oak in Hayfield by 1pm. (Once we know who is coming we can arrange some lifts back to Glossop.)
Have a beer.

Both days will be run in pairs, but you can camp in separate tents if you wish.

There will be a small entry fee to cover the cost of the campsite. I expect this to be about £11 per person but I will be able to confirm once I have a clearer idea of numbers.

Any questions, you can message me on Facebook or email immytrinder@hotmail.co.uk.
Sign up via the form – one form per team of two so make sure you have your partner’s details, including emergency contact, ready!

https://forms.office.com/r/c7xV1vYTrh

Ronnie Staton Positive Runner Seminar – Thursday 29th July at 7pm via Zoom

With so much out there addressing the physical nature of running, this seminar will focus entirely on the mind. It is suitable for runners of all abilities who are looking to increase their enjoyment of running through improved mental well-being.

Such content will also indirectly have an effect on performance, in particular to consistency of running and persevering during events. 

This session will therefore focus on:

 Negative Automatic Thoughts (NATs) 

• What are they, why do they occur?
• How do we experience them exactly?
• What are the common errors in thinking (NATs) – especially in running?
• What can we do about them to feel better in ourselves and our running?

Core Beliefs & Underlying Assumptions

• What are they?
• How do they influence our thoughts & behaviour (& running)?
• How do we get to know our own core beliefs?
• How can you improve limiting or negatively held beliefs? 

Applying all this to running goals

• Setting healthy goals
• Getting the best from yourself
• Enjoying the journey
• Acknowledging the result

Zoom details:
Topic: The Positive Runner
Time: Jul 29, 2021 07:00 PM London

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85057352569?pwd=VUVVZS9qSTRuTUNmWjNTRHpRWm5EQT09

Meeting ID: 850 5735 2569
Passcode: 115482

Hodgson Brothers Mountain Relay – Sunday 3rd October

The ‘Hodgson Brothers Mountain Relay’ is a fell running relay race set in the heart of the Lake District Fells. It takes place every year on the first Sunday in October, and is competed by around 70 teams from across the country, but mainly the North of England. It is the longest-running mountain relay in the country.

Each year Glossopdale gets 1 entry for a team of 8 runners. The race has 4 legs, each run in pairs.

This year we’ll be running a tryout event in order to select the team and reserves. Details of when this will take place and how to sign up will follow soon! We want to encourage as many people as possible to take part in this, otherwise we won’t have a team at all! We will be aiming to enter a mixed team – 4 men and 4 women. The minimum age is 16 for leg 1, and 18 for all other legs.

This is a brilliant relay event and always very popular, but unfortunately it’s extremely unlikely that we will be able to enter more than one team, as the race is always oversubscribed. We want to enter a competitive team, and believe this is the fairest way of selecting it. There will be other relay opportunities coming up during the year, including the British Fell and Hill Relays, which we anticipate opening soon. For this and all other races we can enter as many teams as we like so that everyone who wants to run can do so 🙂 

LAKE DISTRICT ESCAPADES

There were Harriers to be found all over the Lake District this weekend, on the hills, in the valleys, and I dare say in the water too! Whether you were out there racing, round’ing or supporting, big kudos to all of you!

Ian’s Bob Graham Attempt

It’s still a bit raw, but in summary the attempt failed, although not without a fight. Aided and abetted by Jason Hart and Will Mather, I set out from Moot Hall at 6pm on Friday evening. The climb up Skiddaw was very hot, but otherwise leg 1 was smooth, the perma bogs around Great Calva being the driest I’ve seen them. Taking the Halls Fell descent line, we arrived in Threlkeld 15 minutes ahead of schedule. Got a little food down, before continuing into leg 2 with the ever strong Zoe Barton and the relentless Will, going for his second leg. Dark by now, I was struck with an unusual overheating issue on the first and last climbs of the leg, but otherwise we ran well, arriving at Dunmail on schedule (we lost a little time over the leg, but fairly inevitable due to darkness). At Dunmail I managed a tin of rice pudding and a couple of spuds, which was about all I fancied, a precursor to what lay ahead.

Rick Steckles and Neal Bann are fairly new to fell running and the club, but having joined us on a few of the recces, their natural ability was obvious and impressive. So with a couple of the core team having to drop out due to injury, drafting them in was for leg 3 was an easy choice. We started OK in the darkness, maintaining schedule over the first few hills. Moving toward the Langdale Pikes I was being encouraged to eat, but I just couldn’t. I felt really sick. I tried a trusty wrap but no amount of chewing and trying to wash down with water could help. It wouldn’t go down and was making me heave trying. The summits passed by, but we were now losing a minute here and there. Still drinking well I knew I had to solve the fuelling issue or I was doomed.  But nothing on earth appealed, even things we plainly weren’t carrying with us. The tough climb up Bowfell was probably the lowest point. The sun was up but I just had no energy at all, despite the legs feeling OK. It took ages. Shortly after we met up with my wild camping mate at Esk Hause, and we got some more water. He also gave me a tangerine, which I ate climbing up Great End. Although it was incredibly tart, it was a little magic, and I managed to follow it with a gel and a couple of jelly babies. This did act as a catalyst for a temporary resurgence, and we managed a couple of summits ahead of schedule, clawing back a few precious minutes. The Scafells were hard work as always, but I was moving well again, except on the steepest climbs, where again the energy was absent. The descent into Wasdale is massive, a quad smasher – very steep, very technical and has spelt the end of many an attempt. I enjoyed it, and despite being 90% sure I would now fail the attempt, I had convinced myself (with help from Neal and Rick) that with a good feed and reset at Wasdale, I could go on. 

I arrived 45 minutes behind schedule in Wasdale, but as the leg 4 and 5 schedules are a bit more generous, it was still just about possible. Feeling generally much better, I managed a tin of beans and a can of Coke, before setting out with Immy Trinder and Lance Hamilton Griffiths for leg 4.  The short run to the foot of Yewbarrow proved that I could still run, the legs were still good, but once the climb up got steep (this is a beast of a climb) the energy crashed and I was overheating again. Halfway up Yewbarrow and I called it. Obviously Lance and Immy did their best to try and get me to continue, but there was no way I could make 24 hours now, and to continue would only damage me. We retreated back to Wasdale and were very pleased to see Jason and the crew were still milling about. Thanks, congratulations and commiserations were shared, before we set out back home. 

What went wrong?

The Fuelling – Don’t really know what went wrong.  Everything I had on the hill I’d trained with, and everything in the van was appropriate and common in my normal diet. I hydrated well, but perhaps overdid the electrolytes in my drinks, contributing to the sick feeling. I think I did eventually resolve the feeding issue, at least enough that I could limp on. But it was too late, as all my bodies reserves were long since depleted.

The Back – a recurring issue for me, particularly since lockdown. At times I was in agony, but my painkiller schedule was a bit haphazard. It didn’t end my day, but I could have managed it better.

The Bum – Developed the old cheek chaffing issue on leg 2, and looked forward to applying some cream at Dunmail. In the rush I forgot, and it was a further 7 hours before I could solve the problem. Again, it certainly didn’t end my day, but it added another element of misery.

The Weather – although the temperatures had tailed off a little versus the preceding few days, it was a lot hotter than ideal. And very still. This contributed to the repeated overheating episodes, and probably helped make the final decision on Yewbarrow, where it was stifling.

What went right?

The Road Crew – Jason Hart is a legend, and with assistance from Luke Holme, formed a very slick logistics and changeover crew. Jason also did leg 1 of course, so a weekend almost as hard as mine!

The Leg Runners – Faultless. The chat, the nav, the cajoling…

The Training – You can always do more, but I think ultimately, I had done enough. The legs were there, but my ability to fuel them wasn’t.

The Weather – Both a curse and a blessing. Aside some clag on the Fairfield out and back and over Seat Sandal, the views (and nav) were uninterrupted throughout, and the moon was quite spectacular.

Too soon to say what I’ll do next, but there’s obviously unfinished business here.  I can live with my decision on Yewbarrow (it was right) and with a little more luck, plus learning a few lessons from this attempt, I remain confident I can do it. Huge thanks to everyone involved and for all the kind words that have followed. 

The Lakeland 50

Sunny miles this weekend at the Lakeland 50/100. With a tagline “Getting the band back together”, there really was a great festival vibe of enjoying time with friends and family and getting racing going again. Friday night was fantastic with the bar open, plenty of food options, a band and seeing the 100-mile runners off at 6pm. No Harriers on the 100-mile this year, but Emma Rettig, Ree O’Doherty, Chris Smith, Dan Stinton and (ex-GDH) Steve Pepper took on the 50. It started a little late after a bus breakdown but we set off around the Dalemain Estate at around 11:40. We’ll all have our own story from here on in, but for me it was mainly about taking in as much liquid as possible for most of the day and trying to run whenever I could. Whilst there is a lot of climbing, much of the route is runnable, albeit quite often rocky making progress slow going. We all managed to get through it though and here are the results:

Daniel Stinton	10:41:21
Chris Smith	11:10:23
Ree O’Doherty	14:12:31
Emma Rettig	15:08:40
Steven Pepper	16:43:00

It’s also worth a note that the Lakeland 100 course record was broken this year, by Mark Darbyshire, running 105 miles in 19hrs 10mins. Epic running!

OTHER THINGS

Paul Skuse – Holme Moss Race

A belter but a tough route in tough conditions. If you want to try an AL, give this a go! My feet are red raw and blistered due to either dodgy socks or shoes (this never happens) and pretty much everyone I saw or spoke to had issues with cramp. I felt it twitching for a while before kicking in and dropping me faster than a brick to the back of the head. But what a staggeringly good route. More marshals than you can shake a stick at, tables heaving with food and everyone gets a decent flask/cup jobby at the end. Tons of prizes too. I got a hydration vest for being 3rd V45 with a PW on the course.

Jasmin Paris’ 24-hour Munro Record

She may not strictly be Glossopdale these days, but Jasmin Paris will always be much-loved amongst our membership! I therefore thought you’d all be delighted to know that this weekend Jasmin set a new women’s record for the most Munros in 24 hours!

ParkRun Returns!

Glossop ParkRun was back this weekend for the first time in 70 weeks! Harriers were out in force, with Rob Anker, Ben Robertson and Kate Bowden all setting course PBs!

The team of volunteers was full of Harriers too – thank you all for contributing your time!