To be or not to be, that is the question....

34th Marathon Eryri - Snowdonia Marathon Saturday 29th Oct 2016.

Foreword...

As some of you will know this year at the Snowdonia Marathon is my 3rd hill/mountain marathon in the last 6 months. All 3 marathons were run as part of my fundraising for the PSP Association who are raising vital funds for research into the condition PSP and CBD, both very serious medical conditions and with grim consequences as they are currently incurable and give the suffers a limited remaining lifespan, often 7 years.

I was asked to run for this charity and to raise awareness of it by some very good regular customers of my workplace, and as they are such a nice couple I felt compelled to try to help.

As PSP Progressive Supranuclear Palsy and CBD Corticobasal Degeneration are relatively unknown conditions they are often misdiagnosed by Doctors who don't correctly recognise the symptoms which are often similar to Parkinsons, Alzheimers and Strokes. 

The time lost giving the wrong diagnoses and treatment can be costly in both lost time and quality of life for the sufferer and their families. The PSP Association are funding research into the as yet incurable conditions and obviously money is needed for this, hence my involvement with fundraising.

Please have a read about the condition and the PSP Association at this link if you can: 

http://www.pspassociation.org.uk/

To all those who have donated and supported the cause so far, thank you so much.

To be or not to be, that is the question. 

Some of you will know that I have had some problems in recent months personal, mental and physical. Getting to this event and being in a position to finish it was a challenge, and with all the physical problems with my right knee which came to the fore at the Hoad Hill Marathon in August I didn't know how things would turn out.

Hoad Hill left me with intermittent problems with my knee which would only appear when I ran so training was difficult as I never knew whether I would be able to complete each training run.

For this reason I rested as much as possible and only ran one run a week prior to Snowdon and didn't run for 12 days before the event itself. I left it extremely late to get any long runs in and only ran as far as 16 miles in my longest one about 3 weeks out.

I was taking this event on with a bucket load of trepidation and a truckload of prayers for God to 'just get me to the finish'.

Night before/morning of event.....

As always the night before involved not much sleep, even though I went to bed at 9pm instead of my usual 3am (I work lates). My alarm was set for 4.30am and I pretty much woke at 10pm, Midnight, 1pm, 2pm and finally 3pm before finally waking to the alarm at 4.30am.

To be fair I didn't feel too bad, not groggy and not particularly tired. So it was quick shower and then straight into my running gear I had selected and laid out the night before.

Gear selection was a Run or Cake tech t-shirt and then my PSP Association charity vest, my dual layer Karrimor shorts, Injinji toe socks and my trusty Hoka Clifton 2 running shoes. Also of course my trusty running cap.

Breakfast was always going to be fairly non existent as I knew I wouldn't be hungry as I'd eaten a lot of pasta the evening before, so it was one round of toast with peanut butter and a large coffee to get the system moving so to speak. 

I was getting picked up for the trip in Liverpool by a helpful fellow runner for the day Sarah J, so I was on the first train out of Southport at 5:38am with a bag of food and snacks to eat as I traveled.

6.30am and we are off.... 

So 6.30am came and bang on time was my lift from Sarah, and off we went to Wales for the day. Thankfully it was a fairly straight forward route as we are quite blessed with the selection of routes in and out of Wales so travel time is quite decent. So decent in fact we were practically there by 8:15am as we came in via the Southern end of Lake Padarn and passed an area I was extremely familiar with as I holidayed there a lot as I grew up and it was great to be back again in an area I loved so much.

8:20am and we were safely parked a quick kit check to see what to leave in car and what to take with us and we were off down the High St of Llanberis.

Registration and number pick up... 

Llanberis (Stock photo)

Registration and number pick up was in the Electric Mountain Visitor Centre and cafe and it was here that we would also pick up our race t-shirts pre run. Good thing about picking it up pre run was the size you ordered was on your number and you were given what you ordered, no argument, no excuses, no reason to end up with the wrong size here. Very well organized and a credit to the event organizers and their teams of volunteers etc.

Now it was only 8:30am or so and we had time to kill so it was into the cafe for a cuppa and a snack and time to find friends. Sarah J is a Penny Lane Strider so it took no time at all to find several other members of the club, and as it happens I knew mostly all of them. Mainly because they are also members of my charity running group Run or Cake (Only the best) The first we found were Eamonn, Rachel, Jane and another lady whose name escapes me.

Not long after another fellow caker and running friend Martin appeared and wished us all luck etc.

There were lots of people I knew doing the event so I kept my eyes open but I knew I would not see most until the end where I could wait around at the finish to find them all one by one whilst chilling out with a brew and biscuit etc. 

Time was flying and it was soon last call for the Porta Loo time and into the long queue. Panic did start to kick in a little as I tried to gauge the speed of the queue and the fact I still needed to get rid of my stuff and put my number on and store my bag.

Thankfully I didn't store my bag first, because by the time I got to the front of the queue and into a loo I discovered it had no toilet paper! Seriously what the hell! Thankfully ever prepared as any trail runner should be I had a pack of Kleenex tissues in my bag. I was even kind enough to leave the pack in there so the next person could breathe a sigh of relief (pardon the pun).

Race start.... 

Race start was officially 10:30am so after storing my baggage in a very well organized baggage store courtesy of the organizers (full credit to you again) I started the 10 minute  walk to the start line. I think 10 minute was if you were a fairly keen speed walker to be honest, no time to chat or dawdle on the way and don't leave it until 10:20am to set off as you will end up right at the back of 2000+ people.

Thankfully as I set of earlier I got fairly close to the starting line up, so close I had to step back a little as I felt a little to close being stood in the middle of a lot of very serious looking club runners. After stepping back a little I bumped into Lainey and Ian who had both been entrants in the new Ultra Great Britain 200 mile event! serious respect to them. I said my hello's and said my 'all the best's' as I don't say 'good luck' as I'm not superstitious and as a Christian I don't believe in luck.

So 10:30am and we are off and I'm feeling good.

First 5 miles to Pen-y-Pas.... 

Llanberis Pass to Pen-y-Pas (stock photo)

The first 5 miles is pretty much the whole of the Llanberis Pass and it is such a lovely place to run it is hard to concentrate on where you are running and indeed on what pace or speed you are running. You look to your left and your right and on both sides you are surrounded by the steep sides of the valley and it's sharp cliffs which have been the Mecca for rock climbers for decades. 

Today was a bit misty so when you looked up the mountainsides the top often disappeared and as someone said as I ran alongside them "It's almost like looking into Mordor", you would have to be a Lord of the Rings fan to get that reference, but he had a point. It looked treacherous, dangerous and with a hint of darkness. No doubt people had lost their lives over the decades on the surrounding cliff faces and surrounding mountainsides, especially Snowdon itself.

Thankfully we were currently road running and at a fairly decent speed as well. I felt well, nice and comfy and was slowly passing people. I was aware however though that I could feel something wrong with my knee, the all too familiar some thing stuck in my knee joint feeling, like a small pencil nib was being poked into my knee joint as I ran. 

Thankfully after about half a mile it disappeared as it often did when the problem first appeared several months back on small runs. I prayed it would not return with a vengeance later along with it's all to familiar partner 'Pain'.

The miles passed and the long slow climb started and this one is a long one, several miles in fact. It's subtle at first but if you have gone of too fast at the start as most do on the flat you suddenly start to feel out of breath as your heart beat steadily rises and the lactate slowly builds in your muscles as you climb up to the 1000+ft it takes to get to the end of the pass at Pen-y-Pas.

I felt good this year and didn't huff and puff or struggle at all really and even got up the final sharp 100m of climb to the YHA hostel at Pen-y-Pas and the checkpoint/timing mat and the welcome sight of the 2nd water stop, I even got a decent race pic of me running up the final bit of the climb and with both feet of the ground, a rare air shot for me.

It was incredibly misty here as we were at over 1000ft and it was weird seeing runners coming up the hill out of the mist and off down the other side down toward Beddgelert etc.All the water stop volunteers and supporters were all wearing coats and hats etc and it was surreal to be running in a vest and shorts while looking at them all wrapped up. Thank you to them all though for being there and doing such a great job.

I stopped at this water stop to take a SIS gel and have a quick drink to wash it down. At this point my Garmin bleeped and I realised I had left it in Auto stop mode, so it would stop counting my time every time I stopped moving. At this point I realised I wouldn't be able to accurately measure my overall time without adding several minutes for stops at various water stops.

I did see though that I had just run this section in 40 minutes as opposed to 44 last year and was ahead of previous schedule, I was also in position 535 as opposed to 986 the year before.

Miles 5-13 miles Pen-y-Pas to Beddgelert... 

Pen-y-Pas decent (stock photo)

It was now my favourite part of the run, the downhill section, and a steep one at that on fairly fresh legs...and Hoka's!!

This was my realm and despite the fact that hurtling down this steep section at speed is commonly known as 'stupidity' or 'suicide pace' I gave it some, I held back more than the previous year and I did come across Martin who was being more sensible and I briefly chatted as I passed and then sped on trying not to look like I was, as I knew he would frown upon my stupidity.

To be fair I had pre planned to run the downhill at speed to gain places and time in the only part of the course I knew I could. I was wearing cushioned Hoka's and they allow you to pound down a hill without braking on your knees every time you heel strike and they often save you some of the quad bashing that was going on as well. The key is to try and still lean a bit forward and try and land mid foot or even forefoot if you can, and take a faster shorter steps to try and land your feet under your body instead of in front of your body where you will indeed be braking and slowing your running technique by doing so.

On this section you come off the road and spend several miles still going downhill running down a farm track. This is where you will see most road runners slow right down and gingerly try and negotiate the terrain, especially if they chose full on road racing shoes with hardly any grip or cushioning, as this path is full of stones, rocks, grass, mud and puddles.

At mile 8 you finally reappear onto the road and this is where you start to get your normal marathon legs back. You have to settle back into a decent comfortable pace and start to tick of the miles one by one. It was also time to assess whether or not I had smashed up my quads, knees or anything else on the long fast downhill. Knees felt fine, quads felt ok, but my lower back felt rather ropey as I clearly didn't control my core as I banged my way down the hill. I decided to see how it went as to whether or not I had to do something about it.

Miles 8-9 you pass the lovely Llyn Gwynant (That's a lake to you and me) and it was a welcome distraction to what would be a long road section until mile 13 at Beddgelert.

I tried to remember at what point my previously injured hamstring had given me problems last year and as I was currently at miles 8-9 it felt fairly good although not 100%, I did realise as I continued it was actually mile 10 before I felt it's problems.

I reached mile 10 this time round which was Bethania and assessed my legs. My legs felt a bit tired which is always alarming only 10 miles in but I had just hit 1hr 20mins for 10 miles on a tough course so was very happy at this point. I did feel a little niggle in my hamstring but only very minor and it went as quick as it came. My quads were slightly sore but it could of been more lactic acid build up due to the pace.

At mile 11 we were now alongside another bit of scenic splendor in Llyn Dinas and again it was a welcome distraction from pounding the road. I also decided as it was now 1hr 30mins in that I needed a second gel. I was trying for 1 gel every 45 minutes as I was keen to keep my energy levels up as much as possible. My legs were tiring and I knew the hamstrings in particular would start to breakdown and tire first followed by my calves.

This was were my lack of recent long distance training would most likely hit me as my legs always start to fall to bits from 14-16 miles onward, and on this course it was guaranteed.

From 11 miles onward we were now receiving electrolyte drinks at water stops as well as water if needed and I was taking full advantage of them as I had decided not to run with a drinks bottle as I usually do as I knew there would be plenty on course.

Mile 13 and the welcome sight of Beddgelert soon approached and I felt fairly decent although I was already planning a walk section next on the upcoming long uphill section from 13+. At this point as I glanced over my shoulder I saw Martin again as we were taking supplies of the waterstop/aid station which now had HI5 gels as well.

We chatted briefly as we ran through Beddgelert as we looked for the 13.1 timing mat to record our half marathon times, and soon enough we crossed it. I told Martin I was going to have a bit of a walk as a recoup for what lay ahead and that I may or may not see him further on.

At this point I went for the option of taking an Ibuprofen tablet as my lower back was still sore and I knew it would give me trouble. You shouldn't really take them on runs themselves but if you do make sure you take in lots of water throughout, as they affect your kidney function and it's ability to work fully during the efforts of your marathon. They are a last resort and a personal choice.I would not recommend taking them on a hot day or when you are sweating a lot, because a worse case scenario is the dehydration can cause renal failure.Certainly worth doing a bit of research on the internet.

Miles 13-21 Beddgelert to Waunfaur..... 

Beddgelert Bridge.

  

I started to walk now up what was going to be a 600ft climb over several miles, My plan had always been to give it some welly for the first half of the event up to 13.1 where I had done fairly well last year, and then settle back and walk were needed to get me through the second half at no particular pace or speed. Surprisingly I had actually cleared the first 13.1 miles/half marathon in 1 hr 46 minutes, and 14 minutes faster than last year! I was puzzled as I couldn't work out why I was so much faster, I don't recall any walk breaks prior to the 13.1 last year so couldn't see where the time saving came from.

I was now in position 453 as opposed to 753 last year,I was very happy but I knew my legs were now tired. I carried on my walk as I tried to decide how long or far I would walk from this point. I figured half a mile or 5 mins I wasn't sure. My legs where at this point fairly full of lactic acid and quite stiff and the walk was difficult to start as my legs were not as flexible or loose as they would normally be on a walk. I was one step away from the 'Penguin walk'. 

Slowly I could feel my legs loosening and the feeling that the blood was slowly flowing comfortably through my muscles again and I tried a run for a bit. 

The running didn't seem too bad for a while but as the hill was still upon us it wasn't long before my legs felt stiff again as though cement was flowing through my legs as opposed to blood. I took to walking again on/off.

I did this pretty much up until mile 15 and the water stop there, but I ran on as I didn't need and I had already rested on my walk stints and I was keen to make back up places I had lost.

Between mile 15 and 16 was Rhyd Ddu and the mountain railway alongside the road there, it looked like a cracking place to visit and it would be a good idea to go back and check out that railway sometime, certainly plenty of support for the runners as we passed so I thank them all for that.

Mile 16 approached and this was a welcome water stop and I stopped for a few minutes as I took in another gel and some electrolyte drink. As I looked back behind me I realised how many people were just behind, there were loads and they were clearly running in packs, I decided it was time to get a move on.

From here on was a nice downhill section, nothing mad or steep but a chance to regain a little time and indeed some places. There had been a lot of too and fro with places and you get an idea of who is running with you and against you. To be honest I lost track often, but every now and then it was nice to go past somebody who had previously gone past you earlier as it is a good sign you are performing ok. It's also a little alarming when several people seem to be going past you and you wonder whether you are going particularly slow or they are just better endurance runners, this happened often as well.

Miles 18-19 included passing the safety of the Snowdon Ranger Youth Hostel which was also the 4 hour cut of point for runners. If you didn't get here by 4hrs or by 2:30pm you were on the sweeper bus home. You also passed Llyn Cwellyn at this point as well, which yet again was a welcome sight.

Over the previous miles several times as I hit a mile marker I would consider a little walk as my quads were now giving me trouble and I was worried as they don't usually bother me. Most of the time I would get to a marker and think I'll go to the next one I'm ok and sometimes there was a little downhill after so it didn't make sense to walk at that point, it was fast becoming a mental game to keep going.

I managed to do this up to mile 20 and Betws Garmon were I was definitely going to have a little walk and recoup, and I was pleased to hit 20 miles in sub 3hrs which was good for me as I only just normally manage that on flat 20 mile training runs on a good day, never mind hilly ones like this.

Waunfawr finally arrived at mile 21-22 and after a little rise in the elevation we were suddenly at the dreaded right turn into hill hell! 22 miles in and somebody thought it would be a good challenge to put yet another 1000ft+ climb into a marathon and this one would be over roughly 2 miles as opposed to the first one which was over 4 miles so this one was twice as steep.

Miles 22-26.2 Waunfawr to Llanberis....

Llanberis and home.

 

Thankfully as you round the corner and started the dreaded final climb you are greeted with a very welcome water/aid station and more gels and a very keen and friendly bunch of kids offering you water/electrolytes/gels/sweets and loads of encouragement including one very polite young lad stood in the middle of the road saying " Well done, each and everyone of you".

This was now walk time again as running or jogging uphill was not an option as the lactic acid would seize up my legs or cause cramps if I wasn't careful. My legs at this point were obviously suffering and I shuffled up the hill with a walk courtesy of my cement filled leg muscles again, I could even sense my right leg had no idea of what is was supposed to be doing and I was often swinging it around to the front in a bid to get it to work in tandem with my left, it clearly had other ideas.

As the hill continued we passed a group of supporters singing "If your happy and you know it clap your hands" accompanied by a girl playing it on a trumpet. Certainly encouraging but I only managed roughly 20ft of running before returning back to a walk.

The hill continued and we passed another timing mat at mile 23 and I was now 3hrs 27mins in and in position 664 as opposed to 1125 last year, I had lost a couple of hundred places due to my walk spells but I knew this would happen and had no option really as my legs would not of let me run all the way. At this point my head was all over the place timing wise and I was merely thinking I could finish sub 4hrs 15 as I knew this slow climb was going to suck time away and I knew that normally the downhill that followed was a long slow painful decent back into Llanberis.

The final climb up Bwich-y-Groes continued and it was getting painful just walking up this hill now and several of us were trying to walk with our hands on our knees or quads trying to help our legs gain some momentum up the hill.

Eventually a flattish section appeared and we approached the final water/aid stop near to mile 24. I carried on without stopping or taking anything as by now I was feeling a little sick and full of gels, water and electrolyte and I had spent the last half a mile watching a girl being sick several times at the side of the path and then saying she was ok.

After mile 24 and the aid stop there was a final climb to a bunch of supporters and one of them sadly had an annoying megaphone. I don't know who they were jeering on as it sounded like it may of been some club mates, but when you are at mile 24-25 and still climbing you don't want a stationary person telling you to 'come on'.

Finally the top was conquered and what a view it was across the valley and back down into Llanberis, it was worth all the pain and suffering and if I could of stopped to take it all in I would of done

It was going to be all downhill from here along a nice bit of trail path, albeit a wet, slightly muddy one with the odd rock or two thrown in for good measure. Last year this bit was treacherous as it was so wet, waterlogged and really muddy due to the footfall of previous runners and a cameraman was conveniently placed to try and catch as many people as possible going arse over tit for your enjoyment. Thankfully I stayed upright last year just, and this year too.

After the initial muddy and grassy bit of path we hit a slightly better bit with a bit more tarmac as well as grass. This was however extremely steep in parts and it was now 'Hoka time' my knees felt ok and my hamstring was ok and by know my back was ok, so it was time to give it my all and throw caution to the wind and hammer it down the hill. Or at least faster than those around me anyway, as they gingerly ran/jogged/walked down the steep decent I ran rather uncontrollably at times past as many as I could. I managed to get past a fair few I'd seen along the way as they had passed me earlier and in all I reckon I took back about 20-30 places.

I came off the decent down onto the back roads of Llanberis as we approached the High St and was still overtaking due to the momentum of the hill, I was clearly not anywhere near the front runners of the event and obviously at this point only in position 600 odd but with the adrenaline that is surging through the body and the sense of well being and accomplishment you get from nearing the finish in such a difficult marathon, you can't help but feel like an athlete, an Olympian, a star for the day.

I rounded the corner and was now on the High St and sprinting hell for leather (well it felt like it) and I got past a few more but couldn't quite catch the one at the line so tucked in behind him so he crossed in front of me so he got a clear camera shot, rather stupidly I may add as I cut myself out of camera shot in doing so.

Finished....

So I finished in position 609 on chip time in 4:01:20 and was slightly gutted I hadn't realised how close I was to sub 4, but I was in position 1144 last year and did 4:35:00 so improved my place by almost 50% position wise, so was well chuffed. I had also taken 34 minutes of last years overall time which was a totally unexpected result, especially after the lack of recent training.

I have to say the support on the High St of Llanberis from spectators and locals is amazing and heart warming and I will always appreciate the feeling that gives me to finish in such a lovely village full of such welcoming and supportive people.

Crossing the line you get given your own Marathon Eryri slate coaster made from Welsh slate and a cracking memento of a cracking event and it's an honour to have it adorn my coffee table. I've now got a set of two and will return for more in years to come.

After crossing the line it was straight to the Cadets hut for free coffee and tea and biscuits and time to keep an eye out for friends. I had already bumped into Marc G who had a cracking time around 3:45 or so, and I bumped into Martin again who got 3:56 I think although he said he wasn't racing it.

Slowly but surely friends came in and I watched my friends from Penny Lane Striders come in safely as most of them ran together including my lift for the day Sarah J.

A little bit later I saw Mandy and Darren who were fellow cakers and they were waiting for the final three calers to come in Catherine, Sal and Derek. I was by now really hungry so decided to check out the local fish and chip shop while I waited. 

Great fish and chips, well happy now.

I couldn't of timed it better, as I walked back fish and chips in hand I saw Catherine, Sal and Derek hit the High St and finish in style all while wearing our Run or Cake t-shirts and they even managed to get a mention of the announcer. Darren also got down on one knee and proposed to Sal and the announcer got rather excited until Derek told him they were both already married. As it turned out it was a genuine proposal as Darren and Sal explained later that Darren had never really proposed as it just 'kinda' happened.

It was a lovely gesture from a truly genuine and great bloke to a likewise truly genuine and great lady, I for one am truly fond of them both and am proud to call them friends and running family.

Sal and Darren after the proposal :)

After a far few other mutual well dones to people I missed pre race i.e. Mandy, Marc and Sarah, Kenny and Clare it was finally time to head home and although I was tired and was looking forward to getting home and resting, a part of me was sorry to leave.  I truly believe that a part of my heart has always remained in Llanberis and in the shadow of Snowdon. Ever since I spent many a happy holiday there as a child, being back there out on the mountains made me feel whole again, a feeling I don't get often.Long shall I return.

Thank you.... 

Thank you to my lift for the day Sarah, you are a star. Giving lifts to fellow runners is a vital way that runners can save on costs and save car parking spaces at events, it's also better for the environment folks and it also allows many of us to put the saved money in to various charity causes.

 

Thank you to each and everyone of the event organizers and their crew, and each and every one of the volunteers and supporters at the start the end and indeed along the way. You all truly make the events that extra bit special and are responsible for people coming back time after time.

Thank you to all the sponsors that help these events be put on in the first place. Thank you to the race event photographers who help capture the magic of the event for years to come.

The Marathon Eryri - Snowdonia Marathon is a tough yet fantastic marathon and event, I would recommend it to anyone. Forget your flat boring road marathons, take on something with spirit and a true sense of adventure in Gods country.

Don't forget entries open for this event for 2017 at midnight on New Years Eve!! You need to stay moderately sober to be in with a chance of successfully getting in as all the places will be gone by the time you wake from your drunken stupor on New Years Day and you will regret it.

Is it...to be or not to be, that is the question!

Be there or be......without a slate coaster!! 



Additional pictures from the day..... 

         

 

gweld chi y flwyddyn nesaf.

I now have a 100% organic cotton clothing online store via TeeMill. All profits from designs on my store go to charities. Some of those charities are mountain rescue teams in Wales itself. Please take a look and share around if possible, and hopefully consider a purchase.

https://shoutoutwear.co.uk/

 

 

Running up that hill......No! not that one, the 1000ft one!

Hoad Hill Marathon (Elevation 2500ft) - Ulverston, Lake District - 7th August 2016.

The night before....

As always the night before entailed pre run day nerves, carb loading with endless pasta meals and a total lack of sleep. This one also entailed the use of Ibuprofen, something which I usually avoid like the plague and never recommend to anyone as an alternative to rest and repair. 

After doing the 24 hr Thunder Run event 2 weeks back with a sore and troublesome knee I have been carefully monitoring my knee and any residual pain within it. I have had the odd rare bit of knee pain in my right knee in recent months, but always brief and it's always gone away after 5 minutes after my knee has warmed up and loosened up. 

This is fine on singular runs, but the Thunder Run weekend was 4 x 10k loops for me over the 24hr event, so it came back several times. I rested until this week and my first run at run club on Tues was OK but the soreness was there again as I started. I rested again until marathon day at Hoad Hill in the hope it would be fine.

Race morning......  

Up at 5am after a half decent sleep and it was shower time, followed by clothing selection for the day. It was going to be warm with a forecast of roughly 18C and dry. This was a bonus as although the wind was forecast to be fairly gusty, having no rain at the same time meant the wind would help to cool us on the run.

I went with my PSP Association charity vest which I've been wanting to wear for ages but the weather has never allowed it thus far. I also wore my Run or Cake charity group T-shirt as a second layer for the early stages until I warm up. Shoe selection was my trusty Hoka Challenger ATR trail shoes and a pair of Injinji toe socks. A pair of Karrimor dual layer running shorts and my signature running cap and I was good to go.

Breakfast was merely a couple of slices of fruit loaf and a coffee, and I packed snacks for the journey to top me up.

My transport for the day was courtesy of fellow marathon runner Annie Mc who was obviously traveling up for the same event. So thank you to Annie for the lift.

The trip.... 

The trip was easy enough with sat nav and Ulverston is easy to find and quite a direct trip up from the North West and only took about an hour and 45 minutes and we were safely parked up in the on site car park at the event village before we knew it.

Pre race.... 

Registration was first in the registration marque pre 9am to collect our race numbers and our timing chip which strangely enough was a lanyard based one that you wore around your neck. A novel concept and one I guess helps prevent cheating with carrying extra chips for other people. Race T-shirts were also picked up pre race, so you could wear them if you wanted on the run. I stuffed mine in my kit bag and left it at the luggage store.

Time for a chat with a few people and visits to the loo if required and also time for pre run pics or selfies. It took a couple of attempts for me and Annie to do ours so we could get our Run or Cake T-shirts in and the logo visible, but I got it done eventually.....

Race start.... 

Race start was prompt at 9.30am and we were off out through a quiet and sleepy Ulverston Village, through some of it's quaint back streets with a few twists and turns down various gulleys and alleyways which thank fully had marshals pointing the way at each.

We were soon going down a leafy path heading towards the country and then onto a country lane. This continued on for many a mile and it became apparent at this point that there was quite a lot of road and tarmac involved at various stages of this marathon.

Down the country lanes we went and eventually we took a turn onto a luxurious grassy path, well after tarmac it felt like it anyway.

Across various fields we went with varying incline and decline and eventually popped back out on to some roads again for a fair while. Thank fully we went back onto fields again after a mile or so.

The first check point was roughly 5.9 miles along and was up on the by now rather windy hills. I was now very warm so I took off my Run or Cake T-shirt and stuffed it in my back pack.

It was also 49 minutes into the run so I decided that now was a good time for my first salted caramel GU gel and a bit of water from the aid stop to wash it down. I was there for about 3-4 minutes as I took my time and enjoyed the surrounding views, as well as watching half a dozen people run past me and now in front of me. No panic I thought, there is still 20 miles to go.

One of the guys in front of me stopped a few times to take pictures of the stunning views across Morecombe Bay and also views back towards Ulverston, so I obliged as well, as I considered I'm not losing position on the run if he is stopping at the same time.

We continued on and mostly downhill from this point down towards the coast. It became apparent that the rock hard path and downhill terrain was giving my knees a hammering, especially with wearing trail shoes which usually have almost zero cushioning. Thank fully my Hokas have a bit more than most though so they took a bit of the brunt of the impact.

We got down to the coast and then ran along a very scenic coastal path along the Bay. This was very varied terrain, including several excursions onto the pebbles of the beach and back again through various wooded bits and bushy paths. Thank fully I was currently following 3 blokes in front of me whose pace I had latched onto to make me run at a decent speed and not get lazy.

My right knee at this point started to get painful again and was a worry whether it was going to hold out, but I put it down to the fact that the previous downhill had irritated it a little and I tried to put it to the back of my mind for now.

We ran onto and across some fields again and I had a brief chat with a local runner who knew the area well who said he was trying to run a steady and settled pace and this was helped by having the odd chat along the way with others. I had noticed this when he was in front alongside the other 2 guys.

We eventually came to the check point and aid station at roughly 9-10 miles in.The guy I had been chatting too stopped briefly and then ran on, but I had spotted freshly made flapjack and decided that another 5 minutes stood there eating them and chatting with the aid station volunteers was worth it. The guys who had been behind me stopped and ran on after a brief stop, and it was a while before anyone else appeared. 

Eventually a female runner appeared and I decided that it was now time to move on as the rest of the field were now clearly catching up again.

Off I went and with a sprint to try and catch the others while I had regained some strength and energy from the rest. It didn't take long to get the others back in sight as they were clearly visible on a long straight section of country lane.

At the end of the lane we were back at the coast again and the official photographer was there with his camera so it was slow down and smile for the camera time with double thumbs up to boot.

Onward we went and along a very long stretch alongside a river or canal outlet which ran alongside an industrial area, mainly GSK who were one of the main event sponsors.

Running along this straight I caught up and passed the 2 blokes who had gone past me at the aid stop earlier, and off in the distance I could see the 3rd guy who I had run alongside and chatted to briefly. He was setting quite a pace but it was good to have someone ahead to run after slowly but surely to stop me slacking off.

It was now 11-12 miles in and after taking a right turn off the main path and down a narrow path we came across the busy main road. I was duly informed by a marshal to take a left, cross the road and go through the gate on the right. OK I thought I've turned left, now how do I cross this extremely busy road ffs.

I was quite amazed by what seemed like a  'your on your own' element of this road crossing. Don't get me wrong, there were several Police officers on the opposite side of the road, but there was no instruction or indication that they were there to stop traffic and aid a safe crossing. After slowly running down the road and stopping eventually I took my chances and crossed between speeding cars.

I found the gate and the path off to the right and ran up it. Eventually I met the guy who had earlier been ahead as he was walking a bit of this path as it was getting steep. I was slightly confused by the fact that this path was going around Hoad Hill and the monument on top of it.

It had been made clear to us earlier that we only go up Hoad Hill once and we were indeed going all the way up it! Once we got to the top I was expecting someone to say "you've gone the wrong way mate!" but alas no we hadn't. 

Hoad Hill was indeed the biggest climb for the people running the half, but not us, oh no, this was merely a speed bump compared to what lay ahead for us!

Hoad Hill......sadly not the 1000ft one we'd climb later.

Halfway pit stop/Hoad Hill Monument.....

So we were now at the halfway check point and aid station and I was again eating the free flapjacks as well as taking my GU gels and trying my best not to get blown of my a** as it was way windy up there!

I spent 3-4 minutes there again and composed myself knowing I hadn't conquered the big hill after all especially when I knew it wasn't on the route until 19.1 miles and after a 4 mile climb. I was still convinced at this point that I would be running back up this later on.

We continue on for the second half...

So off we went back down the back of Hoad Hill and off into the unknown following yellow markers with black direction arrows as we went and I lost sight of the guys in front several times. Especially when I climbed up a step ladder over a wall that necessitated climbing down the other side looking back the way I came. 

I stepped of this ladder and got a little confused as it was now woodland and I didn't see which way the other guys went. I started to run up hill alongside the wall but wasn't convinced I was right. Thankfully I glanced back and saw a yellow sign and black arrow amongst the woodland in the other direction. Climbing the ladder facing forward you could clearly see it, but as you were concentrating on your footing and looking down and going down the other side backwards you were not guaranteed to see it.

Down through the short woodland path and across another load of fields and again rarely with someone in sight ahead as the field of runners where I was was clearly spread out with several hundred metres between us so we didn't always see each other.

We came out onto another long country road section at 14 miles or so and this was the start of the long 4-5 mile climb up to the highest point of the run. I caught a glimpse of the guy ahead every now and then and slowly tried to catch up.

This road went on forever and up and down and up and down but mostly up. Regular little walks on the steepest ups was becoming the order of the day, especially when you could see the guy ahead doing it so knew you were not losing distance on them.

Eventually after running up a few of the shorter inclines on the lane I caught up with 2 of the guys who had been ahead of me for a long while and I chatted with one of them for a bit before running on as we had passed each other to and fro a couple of times.

It was now apparent where we were heading as a big hill had been looming for a fair while and the odd glimpse of a wind turbine blade in the distance meant it was likely to be the highest point. I also knew we ran past the wind farm as I had seen it on some online pictures of the route (see below pic).

After passing the previous guy and reminding each other the next check point was at 17 miles a mere half a mile on, the climb up suddenly became a little easier to deal with. despite the pain I was feeling in my right knee at this point with all the declines on a hard surface.

My hamstring and right quad were hurting as well on the climbs, I was using the hands on knees/quads technique to get up the steepest bits of climbs which was saving my energy, but also affecting my running/walking form with the altered angle but it was a pay off I was prepared to chance to get me through 26.2 miles on a hilly trail marathon.

The 17 mile check point arrived and this one had ginger cake as well as flapjacks and sweets and flat coke!! It was a trail runners picnic and yes you guessed it! I stayed for a while.

After some cake a gel and a cup of coke and watching 2 people go past me and another 3 or 4 people arriving at the check point I decided I'd better shift my a**.

It was now around the hill for a bit back on a nice bit of trail path and a chance to get some more photo's as I went as we caught sight of some more wind turbines and some great views across another bay towards Barrow etc.

As we rounded the hill we ran towards a huge quarry which apparently was the source of the winners trophies for the event as they were stone/slate based. It was a spectacular sight especially as we actually ran through some of it's huge roads, albeit bloomin steep ones and declines as well so knee and quad bashers!

I could see a tiny day glo marshal in the distance and off to the right I suddenly caught sight of the peak of the hill and a tiny trail going up it with a few tiny specks going up it, which were actually runners ahead, and no they weren't running at this point.

I got to the hill with another 2 people just ahead of me, they had both passed me at the last check point as I snacked, but thank fully I'd caught them again. We all walked up the steepest and highest bit knowing full well that this was 19 miles in and the worst bit was almost over!

We were now at the top and great views were to be had, but alas they were off down the path and I had no time to waste as I followed. Again my knees took a bashing, particularly my right and I was slightly aware I was slightly limping but it was just my body being cautious so I concentrated a bit more on a softer more balanced foot placement and it helped a lot.

Off along the hill tops we went past more and more wind turbines and blades that appeared to be rather close to the path, and then we approached a marshal with a line of red flags across the path and he pointed us straight down the hillside directly through the heather and whatever hidden tripfests awaited us as we tried to fell run blindly down the hillside.

I pretty much twisted my ankle within the first 100 metres and had to slow as I discovered there were rocks hidden under the floor covering and this was going to be a difficult descent.

The guy who had been to and fro position wise with me seemed to storm down the hill and was getting further and further ahead. I decided it was safer to follow the lady in front of me who was following the little red flags in the undergrowth down the hillside.

This allowed me to concentrate on my foot placement while she concentrated on the route ahead. I did eventually run alongside as the route flattened a little and had a brief chat as we ran, about zombie movies oddly enough, apparently me chasing her was enough to make her speed up lol.

Out off the hillside and it was back on country roads and strangely enough I'd caught sight of a guy I hadn't seen at any point on the run even with the to and fro of the runners ahead and behind me. I figured he must have slowed considerably from his initial pace and had dropped back a position. 

We were now at the final check point at roughly 21 miles and it was another runners buffet, but sadly I was feeling a bit full and slightly ill from all the other stuff and gels and they were now not really going down so I decided against it.

I ran on after a brief drink and rest and caught the usual guy who kept getting ahead and I let him know that the last 5 miles is pretty much downhill from here according to the map and elevation map. We were both glad to know this I can assure you. I told him I was going to try and catch the next guy up ahead who had by now increased his pace again after seeing us behind, and off I went.

It only took another mile for me to realise that it wasn't all downhill at all, it was long ups and gradual downs and then ups again and we were walking the ups. I could see the guy ahead and kept pace with him but about 20-30 metres behind. I at this point started to get hunger pangs which for me is never good at 22-23 miles into a marathon because if I don't then eat I get dizzy, weak and have to stop or eat.

I took the gamble of taking my last GU gel early knowing it probably wouldn't stop the hunger but I didn't have time to try and eat my back up flapjack bar in my back pack as I wouldn't be able to run very well after that.

I almost gagged taking the last gel as my stomach and mind really didn't want it, but I got it down and washed it down with swigs of energy drink which I'd been carrying all the way along as a back up.

Thankfully it worked, I felt better and managed to pass the guy ahead by running up the inclines as he walked. I was also aware though that the 2 people I had previously passed were only 20 metres or so behind.

The last 2 miles and I caught sight of another runner ahead and managed to catch him on an uphill through some woodland that we both struggled to walk up. I ran behind him for at least a mile as I decided whether to pass and try and stay ahead or stay just behind and overtake toward the end and try and hold on in a sprint finish.

We came along a busy road and I realised it was the same stretch of busy road as before and we turned off through the gate again and started gradually up the base of Hoad Hill again. I was like 'come on, not again!' and started to run/walk up the path but the guy infront slowed as he had run out of energy on the climb and I caught sight of another runner another 50 metres or so ahead again walking up.

That was it for me, it was the guy I'd been talking to ages ago on the run pre mile 10 and was a local runner. I sped up as much as I could and as we went along the side of the hill it became apparent we wouldn't be running up it all again as there was only about a quarter of a mile left.

I got behind him as we approached a crowd of supporters clapping all the runners in and a marshal shouting at the guy ahead of me "don't let him catch you!" which seemed daft as I was only 10ft behind him and now speeding up.

We rounded a final corner and a nice straight bit came up as we approached the field the finish area was in, I sprinted up behind the guy and alongside him, but to be fair as I was about to pass he caught sight of his wife and child and started to stop as he decided he was going to run in with them. 

So I sprinted in on my lonesome after a cheeky look over my shoulder to make sure the others were not right behind me as I hadn't looked back for ages.

Over the finish I went and rapidly offered my chip to the woman with the scanner to get the clock stopped, asking several times "did it scan?" as we all know every second counts lol.

Finished....

I finished in 4:13:56 and 19th place overall and I was extremely happy with both time and place, I felt strong on the sprint at the end and enjoyed a fast finish with a smile on my face as opposed to the sometimes pale faced about to pass out or puke face I often get on road races.

You will have to forgive me for treating this race like it was the Olympics in my run report and race breakdown, but I was aware that I was in the highest position I had ever been in a marathon, albeit a smaller one and for once felt like I was in a genuine competition, I also finished 20 mins ahead of my fastest ever trail marathon time, hence why I used the race mentality on the run to make me push and chase people instead of just taking it easy.

It was know time to wait for Annie to finish and to get some food and drink and a little rest as I waited. Coffee was first and a few Ibuprofen as things were starting to pain, especially my lower back muscles and my right knee.

Annie came in safely and in a respectable time and so did fellow runner Emma who was there with her boyfriend David waiting for her at the finish line.

I had watched the prize presentation as I waited and to my surprise found that the lady I ran with for a while was 2nd lady and won a trophy! Well done her, and thank you to saying well done to me several times.

After giving Annie a chance to get some food and drink and relaxing briefly it was time for home and some well earned rest.

Thank You. 

Thank you firstly to Annie Mc for the lift and indeed the company on the day. Thank you to the event organizers, the marshals, the volunteers, the food and drink vendors, the check point and aid station crew in particular for keeping us fed and watered, and thank you to the timing people and also to the official photographer for the free pictures of the day.

Apologies if I have missed anyone, and thank you to everyone who has donated to my '3 for PSP' challenge so far this year in support of the PSP Association. There is a link below on that will take you to my fundraising page if you are feeling generous enough to donate to a very worthy cause.

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/3ForPSP 

Whats next?

Rest is next as my right knee is pretty shot and definitely has an issue with it so I will need to rest and cross train avoiding impact on my knee for a while. I have a 24hr endurance run for some other charities on the 3rd and 4th Sept and then it is my 3rd and final hill marathon of the challenge for PSP this year in Oct.....