Hardmoors 26.2 Series Osmotherley - 22/05/2016

This would be marathon/ultra race number 14 since my first in October 2013.  Along the way there have been ups and downs and in a strange way it was almost like they were all encapsulated here in this one race.  There were certainly plenty of ups to contend with that's for sure...

New marathon bling - Yay!

I had been looking forward to this race for a wee while as its is part of the Hardmoors 26.2(ish) series which are brilliant trail marathons with challenging routes in the North York Moors.  This one was no different.

The route takes in some of the most scenic parts of the Cleveland Way from Osmotherley, over the Three Sisters and then out on a loop deep into the Moors taking in the pretty village of Chop Gate before finally heading back through pretty woodland trails to finish back in Osmotherley.

I know the route well as I have clocked a lot of miles over the Three Sisters in training and as part of the route of the Hardmoors 55 ultra last year.  Ben and I had an epic recce only a month earlier in apocalyptic weather which in hindsight proved to be good preparation.  It would be a tester, with over 5,000 feet of ascent and particularly with Hardmoors miles tending to be on the long side (this race was about 28.5 miles long!).

My old buddy Ben was also excited to have a crack at another Hardmoors marathon after we had such a blast at Roseberry Topping in December.  When he finally gets round to running a road marathon, he will get a personal best by at least two hours such is the toughness of these routes!

Unlike at Roseberry though, this time we would be running separately which would be a new dimension to the challenge for Ben particularly as we wouldn't be able to support each other on the way round.

Ben rocking his Scunthorpe HM shirt!
Photo credit: Paul Munster

After the race briefing, Jon the race director led us up to the race start at the top of the village and we were soon on our way climbing into the woods on the first of many steep ascents.  I set off quickly as I knew the first of the big climbs was a few miles away and I was keen to get some momentum early on.  The strong sun made it seriously hot work on the climbs as we left the cover of the trees onto the open Moor.

Hot day on the beautiful Moors!
Photo credit: Chris P Rice

Good progress was made for the first ten miles or so before a steep climb back up from the aid station (and some restorative coke) onto the spectacular Wainstones.  Here hiking up became a quicker tactic than running the steep hills.  We crossed runners coming the other way who were yet to tackle the climb and we high fived on the way past.  The camaraderie on these events is superb with everyone being so friendly and willing each other on.  I got a little lift from the others as we cheered each other on as we crossed.  I looked for Ben, but he was making such good progress himself he wasn't that far behind so I didn't cross over with him.

Photo credit: Paul Munster

After a short climb after the Wainstones, the route heads into the Moors proper before descending to Chop Gate.  As I arrived in the village, I had started to feel very weary which was worrying with so far yet to go.  I passed bikers sat drinking beers in the sunshine outside the Buck Inn which didn't improve my now ebbing morale.

The long climb out of Chop Gate is the longest of the day and seriously draining on tired legs.  It was here where I was first struck with some seriously debilitating cramp which started in the calves and gradually spread to my hamstrings and quads.  I have experienced cramp off and on in sport for my whole life but this was as bad as I've ever experienced, worse even than I've had on much longer ultras.

Suffice to say that my early good work was rapidly undone as I was reduced to an agonised walk/hobble and even at some points a complete standstill.  I was caught by quite a few runners on Barkers ridge as we started the long journey back towards the Cleveland Way and home.  Fair play to them, every runner who passed me asked to make sure I was ok.

Matching blisters - Summer trails are definitely harder on the plates of meat!

I struggled on like a wounded animal for the last eleven miles as the cramp just wouldn't let up.  I have to admit that it did take the edge off my enjoyment of the race despite the stunning scenery as I was in a lot of pain for the last two hours of the race.  My mood was briefly lifted when I was joined by a beautiful fox cub on the woodland trail who no doubt found me to be a curious creature cursing and limping through the woods.

It was a relief to finally round the last few corners into the outskirts of Osmotherley village where another old friend Chris had hiked a little way up the trail to take this picture of me suffering.

Grimace for the camera! Photo credit: Chris Pickwell

Thankfully, a few minutes later I was relaxing with a beer in the sunshine with Chris as we waited for Ben to arrive.

Way sooner than either of us were expecting, a topless bearded warrior came thundering down the High Street as Ben finished looking very strong.  It was great to see him do so well and also to see him progress over the last year, he seems to get stronger now with every race.

By the time he joined us at the pub the memories of the pain had already started to fade and we were soon trading stories of what had been an epic run.

As I write this my legs are still extremely tender from the prolonged cramping.  I'm refusing to feel too discouraged though.  I'm putting it down to a combination of heat, the quick start, a big effort the previous weekend at the North Lincs Half and not enough recent conditioning in the hills.

I've still got time to do something about the latter before the Ultimate Trails 110k in the Lakes in July. As with all ultras, it is 100% guaranteed to hurt, but a little easier on the cramps would be a start!

Once again, a big thanks to the Hardmoors family. The organisers, volunteers and everyone else involved without whom these brilliant races could not happen. What a special trail running community this is.  I can't wait to be joining you all again for some more punishment soon!

The North Lincs Half - 15/05/2016

Since being bitten by the ultra trail running bug almost two years ago I have run a lot of slow miles. They've been beautiful, muddy and tough but slow.  This training was essential for getting through three mighty ultras last year but I have been wondering whether I have been simply training myself to run long and slow.  

I do have a decent natural pace when I put my mind to it, so in addition to my one big trail race this summer at the UT 110k, I want to rediscover some of it and make some inroads into my road times this year.  The first opportunity would be at a race that is becoming a fixture, the North Lincs half in my boyhood town of Scunthorpe which I would be running for the third time.  It is pancake flat with a great opportunity for fast times and also to run with some of my old buddies from home.

Great to see you Mr Ellis
Photo credit Chris Pickwell

About five weeks out from the race I started to introduce one quicker run into my week to get myself used to clocking some faster kilometres ready for the race.  The sessions were hard as I'm so used to just steadilly accumulating the miles, but as a result my natural cruising pace quickly dropped by around 15 secs per mile.  After a few weeks, I was able to increase the distance covered at the faster pace and I started to feel more confident in having a really good crack at my half marathon time of 1h 28mins at this race.

Spot the Matt...
Photo credit Roger Kimberley-Scott

As it happened, the day dawned with perfect conditions, bright sunshine with a gentle cool breeze. As with last year, my old pals were there with me.  Ben, whose running is improving all the time was also looking to crack a personal best and Mark was just seeing how it went after having run a cracking race here last year.  On the start line it was a lovely surprise to bump into a friendly face in Gary Ellis, an old school friend who told me he has started running relatively recently back home in Liverpool.

Perfect conditions
Photo credit Scunthorpe Telegraph

As well as being flat, the course is quite scenic as it winds its way through villages outside the town and it still ends on the pitch in the football ground which is a nice way to finish.  I hope they can retain this when Scunthorpe United get a new ground soon.  Plenty of folks had turned out to cheer us on  along the route in the morning sunshine.

Mark breaks his 5k pb at the start, oops!
Photo credit: Roger Kimberley-Scott

I had worked out my splits for a one minute pb and resolved to stick with that pace as long as possible, fully expecting to fade a little at the end.  In reality I found that hitting the splits bang on was quite hard and ended up running several seconds per kilometre under.  I just went with it as we raced through the country lanes, fully expecting some painful payback later on.

I did hit a tricky patch around ten miles but it was more of a drifting of concentration than physical fatigue.  I quickly snapped out of it though and with only three miles to go I managed to get back on track and it wasn't long before we were rounding the corner for the long straight back to Scunthorpe. It was here I started to pass those who had gone out too fast and started to wobble but passing them gave me more confidence and I was able to lift the pace again which came as a surprise given my faster than expected start.  Entering the stadium straining for a few extra seconds, I knew I was on for a decent time but I hadn't looked at my watch for a wee while so I had no idea until I saw the race timer on the finish line.

Photo credit Claire Lewis

Before the race I thought that to put a minute into my best time would be a brilliant result.  In the end I battered down the doors of my pb by two and a half minutes to get home in 1h 25min and 31sec, a dream time given I have only really started thinking about faster stuff recently.  Perhaps there is something in this speedwork thing after all...

Suffice to say I am chuffed with that.  Its nice to have a time which better matches the amount of work I put into my running.  Turns out it was a day for smashing records. The course record was broken and Gary (see you next year?) and Ben also claiming new pbs.  Mark had a tougher day out than last year having overcooked it a little at the start but was still smiling at the end and even Harrison came away with a medal for bossing the fun run.

Proud fun run finishers
Photo credit Scunthorpe Telegraph

Afterwards we retired for a gravy dinner and a couple of shandies to top off a fab weekend.  Thanks to all the volunteers and organisers who put together a really well organised race.

I'm returning to the hills next weekend with the awesomest trail running community at the Hardmoors Osmotherley Marathon.  Cannot wait!