I had a very productive half term break in February and for the first time in ages I stayed in the country! That’s because, as I told you in my last post, I’ve had to make a few sacrifices for this here Ultra Run that I’ve taken on, and I promised a little update and some insight into what I’m doing, my plan, and the story so far.
So why am I doing this? Well………………they do say that if something excites you and scares you to death all at the same time you should probably do it! So I’m doing it!
So what’s an Ultra Run?………………..It is, technically speaking, anything over marathon distance, so anything over 26.2 miles or 42.195 km.
Am I doing it just to say I’ve done an Ultra Run?……………………………No! If I was I’d have chosen a 27 mile one on the flat. 😆
I’m doing one called ‘The Lap’. It is in the most mountainous region of the UK and is 47 miles long with over 8,500 feet of ascent. This is the profile of the course……………….if you are not running uphill, you are running downhill. It’s one full ‘Lap’ of Lake Windermere, hence the name. Windermere is the UK’s largest lake. It’s 10.5 miles long and 200 feet deep and it was formed by glaciers. Circumnavigating it and taking in all the fells and mountains around it is a 47 mile journey.
The route is on unmanicured, single track and raw trails. It includes significant sections of rocky, technical, mountainous and muddy terrain and takes in open fells and ancient woodland. However, it’s got a nice generous cut off of 8 hours for the half way point and 24 hours for the full route…….it’s a 6am start, running through the night until 6am the next day if it takes you that long.
So why am I doing it? I’m not 100% sure ………………. well, I sort of am sure but it would take a whole post and more to explain. It’s sort of all about me, facing myself. It’s about me taking care of my body, taking care of my mind, pulling back from the noise and distancing myself so I can rebuild quietly. It’s about turning turmoil of the world into structure and choosing growth over validation. It’s about handling things with discipline and dignity. Because, in that way I’m a little rare. I choose solitude over attention, always self improvement over revenge (I don’t do falling out and fighting), and silence over chaos, and that would be my little piece of advice for today I guess. Choose wisely.
But why this one and not a 27 mile one? I think the answer to that question is I know I can do a 27 mile one…………..I wanted to do something that I genuinely do not know if I can and will achieve. I’m interested to see what my body and mind does when it gets to that point where I think I can no longer continue. I’m interested in seeing what I can achieve beyond that point, because I am sure that ‘point’ will come and go numerous times in the latter half of the race, maybe even before. But how do you know what the limit of what you are capable of is, if you never push yourself to that point?
So I guess the main reason, from a purely selfish point of view, is to learn something about myself and achieve an element of personal growth………………both mentally and physically.
I didn’t really feel I achieved that in my road marathon. It was quite easily doable with the training I put in. I said I’d never do another road marathon and I meant it. I don’t like running on tarmac, through the city, and I don’t like running as fast as I can, which tends to be the objective of a marathon. I don’t enjoy that at all. This is the opposite. It’s infinitely harder, but infinitely more enjoyable. It’s in one of the most beautiful, if not the most beautiful, part of the UK (apart from Yorkshire of course) 😆. It’s off road and across the fells and mountains – my happy place. And it’s NOT a race for the majority of people, including myself……………………….it’s not about finishing times, it’s more about finishing lines and getting there, no matter how long it takes you. It’s more about the process you go through to get there, and what you learn on the way. Ultra runners WALK! It’s allowed, and is often necessary at some point in a race like this. I’ve had to train myself in this mindset……………….it’s actually quite hard psychologically to train yourself to walk on a run. 😆
And it’s not just about what happens on the day. They say a journey of a thousand miles (or 47 in my case) starts with a single step………………..and it does. The preparation for this started months ago…………………….the biggest battle and the courage comes from getting to the start line, not the finish line. Hopefully I’ll get to the start line, but once I step over it, what will be will be, it’s too late for any adjustments at that point, what really matters is what has been happening since last Autumn to May this year.
So, what have I done so far…………………….sensible, steady progression. At the end of the day I have a life outside running, one that involves work, my boys and hobbies……………..a key word here is balance! I hated the marathon because it took over my life! I am only running three times a week – a short 6 mile fast tempo session, a session of hill reps and a longish 16 mile run on a weekend. The furthest I plan to run in one session before the day is 25 miles, which is 22 miles short of the distance, any further on a consistent basis and I risk a flare up of historic back and knee niggles. I can do without experiencing those until the day!
I have a Personal Trainer for one session a week and do strength and conditioning which includes lots of squats, lunges, weights and core work and I try to replicate my session at home later in the week too. This week’s was a warm up followed by reps totalling 100 press ups and 125 weighted squats. I was very pink at the end of the session!
I do yoga for 15 minutes every day and an additional hour on a Wednesday.
I try to eat properly and sensibly………………………….and yes, I do have cake and treats, I’m not a slave to my diet, I love food! It’s necessary fuel, you’ll not find me nibbling on lettuce leaves any time soon. This is this week’s bake…………………………………Plum, Blackberry, Almond and Bay Friand bake……..YUM!
I try to get 8 hours of sleep a night. This is my downfall………………………I don’t always achieve it and if I got this part of the equation right I know things would fall into place more, so I’m consciously working on this as it is the weak strand.
Because there are really only three strands to this equation……………………….consistency of training, nutrition and sleep. Get those three right and you are most of the way there.
So, less of me waffling on about my plan……………………..lets have a look at this route………because it’s a beauty!!! And how do I know……………………because I’ve already ran it!!!🤣
Now, you don’t honestly think do you, that little Miss Organisation would leave this purely to chance on race day! No! That’s just not me, and it would involve lots of lost sleep and me worrying about where the hard parts are, where I can push, where I need to hold back, where I’m likely to get lost. Anyone who knows me well will tell you I hate the unknown…………….I like a plan, a list, a strategy, a contingency plan……… I can get quite anxious anticipating something like this.
So I decided to put a little of my half term aside, after I’d done some life admin and household jobs, to go on a recce………………………..quite a long recce of 4 days and 47 miles. 😂 I don’t like to do things by halves.
But I was sensible………………….I find it hard to fit long back to back training days in because I work 5 days a week and I like one weekend day to rest and do other things. So I got hold of the GPX file and thought, “I can achieve a lot if I give up 4 days of my half term to the race preparation”:
- I can split the route into 4 and have 4 back to back training days running 12 miles each day and covering the whole route.
- I can test various shoes and other equipment on the terrain.
- I can take lots of beautiful photos and have some chill time in the most gorgeous place.
- I can have a mental reset and get away from all the horrible stuff going on in the world (I’m booked on a flight with a 7 hour connection in Dubai at the end of March and I daren’t even think about it – the risk averse in me says I probably won’t get on it – who knows).
- I can munch my way through my body weight in sweets and fuel in the name of finding the optimum race nutrition strategy.
- I can stay in a lovely pub in the countryside with white cotton sheets, a feather duvet, a roaring fire and a bookcase.
So that’s what I did!
I stayed in the Brown Horse Inn at Winster, a small hamlet only a couple of miles from the edge of Lake Windermere. The Lap passes the bottom of the road so it was the ideal starting point. The room was lovely, had a gorgeous view, was warm and cosy, the food was delicious, the staff delightful and it was perfect.
Well, almost perfect ………… 4.90 out of 5. The in-room tea bags were a blue colour! A small deduction has to be made for the absence of Yorkshire Tea! 😆
So come on a little run with me…………………..Day 1. Winster (the pub) to Finsthwaite.
First things first ……………………… pub breakfast…………………….delicious…………………just could not help myself!
I set off across the fields, up a moderate incline, when I came to my first tarn. A tarn is a mountain lake, pond or pool, formed in a cirque (or “corrie”) excavated by a glacier. There must be thousands of tarns in the Lake District and we pass a couple of my favourites on this route, which I’ll share later.
You then come out in Ludderburn, a small hamlet, which on the day will be the site of an Aid Station. It’s a pretty little place with snowdrops everywhere. 😍
Then it’s a nice easy run on a deserted country lane for around half a mile. I hadn’t seen anyone yet, it was so peaceful, just how I like it.
It was not long after that, I caught my first glimpse of the huge lake I was running around…………..Lake Windermere………in the distance.
Then I found myself in a heavily wooded area of forest………Blake Holme Plantation. Not my favourite part of the day. The path was indistinct, it was dark in the wood, mud over my ankles, running beside a beck, GPS jumping around all over due to the denseness of the trees…………..and to top it all……… I found the wood was full of wild cows and bulls!! My favourite!😮 They decided I wasn’t worth chasing and carried on munching their grass thank goodness.
After running for just over an hour it was time for half a bag of Colin Caterpillars……………….sugary caterpillar jellies from a certain UK supermarket with an M and S in the title! These were to fuel me up my first big hill of the day…………..Gummers How! It’s a smallish fell as fells go but with big views…………….360 degree views.
And the good thing about a summit is that sense of achievement on reaching that Trig point and the fact that there will usually be someone else at the summit to take your photo!
I better explain what a Trig point is if you don’t know. We have them on top of a lot of hilltops, mountains and high points in the UK. They are usually stone or concrete pillars around 4 feet high or taller. Designed by Brigadier Martin Hotine in 1935, over 6,500 were installed from 1936, by the Ordinance Survey, to create an accurate, national survey network. They were used for triangulation to measure angles between points, which mapped the country. Hence their name……..’trig’ is the abbreviation of ‘triangulation’ point. They are marked on all our UK Ordinance Survey maps.
A nice bit of downhill now across the fells and through the woods where the ponies and pigs live. 😍
This was followed by a huge climb up to Finsthwaite Tower. This was quite an interesting find and was worth a pause. It sits at the top of a very steep and long hill and is an old tower alongside three standing stone monuments. The stones commemorate three Naval battles which were won in the 18th Century against some of the UK’s European aggressors.
It was a steady downhill that followed into the tiny village of Finstwaite. A lovely little place with beautiful St Peter’s church, where the vicar has very kindly provided tea and coffee making facilities and invites you to enjoy the peace and quiet. He must have been expecting me…………………don’t mind if I do! 😆
Have a little look inside. Some lovely stained glass windows, it had a nice bright feel about it………………….it might have been the refreshments that made it better!
End of Day 1………a gorgeous 11.26 miles covered, 2,034 feet of elevation. I wasn’t questioning my life choices yet. Fuel consumed enroute…………one Chia Charge bar and a bag of Colin Caterpillars. Hydrated by 500ml of Tailwind electrolytes, 500ml of High 5 Zero electrolytes. Shoe choice – La Sportiva Mutant which held well on slippery muddy ground – no slips, trips or falls, and feeling good. A result!!!!!
More importantly 1,604 calories burnt. Refuel in the form of a minted Lamb Burger made with local hogget lamb and chunky chips and side salad. If you are not familiar with ‘hogget’, it’s lamb that has had two springs and two summers so it’s over a year old, around 18 months. The theory is an extra 6 months of grazing on rich Spring and Autumn pasture makes a big difference to the taste if it’s hung well. It was an outstanding burger!
This was at The Force café in Ambleside, who also serve the most amazing coffee so I’d definitely recommend a visit here if passing. They are all about fresh, locally sourced produce, and you can tell by the freshness and flavours! There’s also quite an amazing waterfall nearby, Stockghyll, Force if you are interested.
Just time to catch a gorgeous sunset over the lake on the way back.
An evening spent laid on my bed with my feet up, PJ’s on, rosy cheeks, reading my book.
Onto Day 2……………….Finsthwaite to the descent off Latterbarrow fell.
Forget the running shoes………………………..I need an ark! You cannot come the Lakes for 4 days and not expect a day of absolutely biblical rain and poor visibility, it is the Lakes after all and the water has to come from somewhere.
However, there’s no such thing as bad weather in the world of fell running, just incorrect clothing. Still feeling quite strong after yesterday’s big day I donned myself in every item of waterproof equipment I had brought and set off, looking more like I was about to skipper a boat than run 12 miles. Up, up and up through Finsthwaite woods to High Dam. The good thing about heavy rain though is that the water crashed down through the woods, and I love that sound.
High Dam, when I eventually reached it was still, grey and deserted……………….it had quite an ethereal feel in the mist.
Then followed the BIG descent! I liked this bit, not because it was downhill, because downhill is actually my least favourite, but because you end up on the shore of Lake Windermere, for one of only a handful of times you get so close to it in the whole race.
Lake Windermere is normally a very busy lake, full of weekend day trippers. However, on a day of biblical rain in February there was not a soul about, and I like it like that. Just the lake, the birds, the snowdrops and me…………………plodding along with by pack of goodies. Today it was Percy Pigs!
Then came the big climb through Station Scar Wood and the discovery of Claife Viewing Station half way up. This structure looks a little bit like a mini castle and is maintained by the National Trust. It was built as a viewing folly in 1790 in Georgian times. It was built during the ‘Picturesque’ movement and as such has strategically placed windows cut into it so each view is framed like a picture………very clever.
You then leave the lake and I found myself plodding through a misty and foggy landscape of farm tracks , dry stone walls and bare trees. Eventually I came out in the small village of Far Sawrey where there was a conveniently placed bus shelter for me to rest and eat a Chia Charge bar.
Far Sawrey is lovely little village and in Summer it gets lots of visitors because it is the location of Hill Top Farm, former home of Helen Beatrix Potter, better know as Beatrix Potter………..the much loved author and illustrator who invented and wrote a series of children’s books about the animal characters she created……………………….Peter Rabbit, Jemima Puddleduck, Tom Kitten and many more. I highly recommend a visit to Hill Top Farm, it’s magical and wonderfully preserved by the National Trust, who she bequeathed most of her estate to.
I have a full compendium of the 1970’s Beatrix Potter books from when I was small and they are one of my treasured possessions because I loved them…………………..and still do. When my boys were born I gifted them a Steiff Teddy Bear and a full compendium of Beatrix Potter books each ……………………they are very, very special books to me. The way how she uses the beauty of what she saw around her to create these wonderful characters and stories, her gorgeous illustrations and the way she managed to weave into each story a valuable lesson, be it the natural consequences of actions, the value of persistence, the importance of kindness and above all the way that they fostered within me a love for nature, a love for exploring, a love of animals and a love of reading.
Just after Far Sawrey, up a long farm track, you emerge at the most beautiful and serene tarn………………..Moss Eccles Tarn. This is one of my two favourites I mentioned earlier. In 1926 Beatrix Potter bought the tarn and surrounding land to preserve it. She filled it with brown trout and planted water lilies. She described it as a place of peace and joy. While her husband fished on the tarn from a little wooden boat, she wrote and sketched. The tarn inspired ‘The Tale of Jeremy Fisher’…………her beautiful story about Jeremy Fisher……………….a frog, one of my favourites in the compendium.
The tarn is now a Site of Special Scientific Interest……….valued for its aquatic and wetland plants, damselflies and dragon flies. It really is a beautiful spot. Somewhere to come back to in summer with a picnic! Perhaps you could look for Jeremy Fisher!
A long slog now through the forest, where there was some pretty impressive fungii on the birch trees, to reach the start of the last big climb of the day…………….Latterbarrow. This is a short sharp climb rather than a long shallow one. It does however, offer the most spectacular view over Lake Windermere, when you can see it for mist and rain.
Latterbarrow is beautiful though…………………………a really nice big trig point, excellent view all around, and quite accesible for everyone, as it’s not far up or down from a road if you can cope with the steepness. Better when it’s sunny though!
Trot to the bottom of Latterbarrow and I’m done for the day, having run up a large part of the western side of the lake. 12.02 miles covered, 2490ft of ascent, lots of ups, lots of downs, one bag of Percy Pigs, one Chia Charge, 500ml Tailwind, 500ml of Go Zero and 1460 calories burned. Shoes……………..my La Sportiva Mutants again …………… felt a bit tight as my feet swelled today though!
So that means that on the way back I can call for coffee and flapjack! A recommendation……………………..’Grain’ cafe in Ambleside. Fantastic fruit flapjack, fantastic coffee and lovely plants!
Uneventful evening……………………….Olympic viewing on TV, book reading and snuggling in my duvet after a long hot shower getting rid of the mud and transforming my feet into something a little less Frodo Baggins like!
It’s Day 3 now……………………feeling a little bit stiff in the legs and back, so a little bit of yoga before breakfast and then off I go. Today I’m running from the bottom of Latterbarrow all the way to Troutbeck. The distance is similar to the first two days, perhaps a little more, but the elevation is huge! 40% of the race elevation is in this one section so I start with my poles unfolded, normally I just use them when I get to a big hill.
It’s a nice start though…………………going through the farmer’s gate to the track below I can see some sunlight trying to poke through the clouds.
It’s even brighter as I run past the lovely Blelham Tarn. I’m feeling upbeat and positive even though low rolling cloud and rain is forecast for later.
I trotted through the lovely little hamlet of Skelwith Fold before beginning my first big ascent of the day up Loughrigg Fell. The views on the way up this fell, of the far reaching hills and mountains, are just spectacular. So many colours and shades……………… with sun, clouds and rain all visible in the distance.
Half way up Loughrigg Fell you come to Loughrigg Tarn, the second of my favourite tarns. This was also a favourite place for the poet William Wordsworth who said it was “round, clear and bright as heaven”. I like it for its seclusion and its setting.
It’s always nice and quiet up here and it is surrounded by pastures of Herdwick sheep, looked down upon by the most majestic hills and mountains cloaked in every shade of brown, green and gold at this time of year.
I pressed on up Loughrigg Fell and the views just kept getting better and better………………and the birdsong! This is why I love it so much……..just listen……..can there be anywhere better than this to be alone with the world. ❤️❤️ This is a video, and I don’t have much luck uploading them on here, I’m no technical wizard but I bake a good cake (we can’t be good at everything), so if it does not play you’ll have to take my word for it. Sorry about the birdsong being interrupted by heavy breathing…………..I’m a little out of breath.😆
I reached the top of Loughrigg Fell just as the wind started to get up and the grey clouds started swirling. There were plenty of people up at the top at the trig point so I stopped for a photo and had a quick snack. I’m back on Colin Caterpillars today.
As per usual I got a little lost on the top of Loughrigg Fell. It’s a huge hill but on top is a huge flattish, bobbly plateau. There are so many paths going in all sorts of directions and it’s really easy to become disorientated. On the day it will likely be signed and marshalled so I’m not worrying, but once again I got a little bit lost up here, but thanks to my GPS soon recovered and found my way down into the town of Ambleside.
I was quickly through the town of Ambleside and on my way up the side of the biggest hill of the whole route, Wansfell Pike…………………and this is where the wheels sort of fell off. The view part way up over the lake was amazing.
But I could see the cloud descending and a bad weather front coming in. It can change oh so very quickly out here. By the time I got to the summit the visibility was really poor and I was starting to feel really uncomfortable. I just hadn’t really prepared myself mentally for thick mist, and I don’t like it.
There were a couple of people about, but not many, as I tried to navigate my way to the trig point of Baystones, and then take a compass bearing to try and find the path down to Troutbeck. I could only see a few metres in front of me clearly and there are no more photos of the day as to be honest I cried all the way down to Troutbeck and completely panicked when my GPS stopped responding. Not that I need my GPS because I have my compass but I just find it reassuring to know I’m definitely not lost! 😂
I made it down into Troutbeck after 12.96 miles and 3353 feet of elevation. I was a little bit broken and today I did question why I was doing it……………..but I think that was just down to the trauma of the last hour. In hindsight, it had been a beautiful run. One bag of Colin Caterpillars, one Chia Charge, 500ml of Tailwind, 500ml of Go Zero electrolytye, but loads of tears too today! Shoes of the day were the Nnormal Tomir 2.0. A good choice and a possible one for the actual race. Much more cushioning than the La Sportivas, which I think I’m going to need for this distance, and a slightly wider toe box so no squashed toes at the end. Quite sticky to the ground too so no falls, but the lug is not quite as deep as on the Mutants (5mm as opposed to 6.5mm on the Mutants which does make a difference) so not quite as confident in them in deep mud.
Upside of the day though was the additional calories…………all 1,597 of them which meant that it was definitely a pie, mash and gravy night………..chicken and ham hock pie to be precise. Delicious and deserved!
Legs were feeling a little sore and puffy and I had a possible little knee niggle coming on. Not too much elevation tomorrow so it was an evening for a bath soak, wrap myself in a towel, elevated legs, Volterol gel, precautionary knee tape for tomorrow, little bit of book reading and Olympic curling final……….I know how to rock and roll on a Saturday night!🤣
Day 4 – the final section, completing my full circumnavigation of the lake…………………..and the sun was forecast to come out later. First things first, a lovely vegetarian breakfast. I’m not vegetarian and I love bacon but sometimes it’s just too salty and makes me really thirsty which is not great when I’m running.
I set off from Troutbeck, where I’d finished the day before, and the views down the valley were lovely.
Past Dubbs Reservoir and up the first climb of the day to the summit of Orrest Head. Today was about mud…………………………lots of it. After a night of torrential rain all the paths were thick mud and water, so the going was slow.
This was soon forgotten when I got to the top of Orrest Head, the view over the lake from here is quite something. This was a favourite spot of Alfred Wainwright, hill walker and author, and there is a lovely slate plaque in his memory at the top detailing all the mountains you can see in the distance and the view which transformed his life as he wrote, “Those few hours on Orrest Head cast a spell which changed my life.”
Onwards I went, around the outskirts of the town of Bowness on Windermere and up through the woods at Matson Ground.
At last, the final big hill…………………..Brant Fell, which was no less spectacular than Orrest Head. By the time I got up there it was blowing a gale, but the sky was blue and the sun was shining.
Just a couple of miles now until I reached the very spot which I set off from three days previously. I’d made it……………………a full circumnavigation of the lake and all its spectacular hills and summits.
A shorter day today 9.83 miles and 1499 feet of ascent. However, 1112 calories burnt which obviously meant that I was still entitled to a bite to eat on collecting my suitcase from the Brown Horse Inn! They make the most delicious fish pie here. It was divine. Cod, haddock, smoked haddock and salmon in a creamy sauce all topped with cheesy mashed potatoes.
So there you have it……………………….’The Lap’………….I’ve just got to put it all together and do it all four days in one day now! 🤣🤣
It will be fine……………………..remember it’s about finishing lines not finishing times…………………….and it’s not really about that……………….it’s more about the learnings and the process and the growth that come with getting to the start line. It’s about challenging myself and it’s about setting an example to my boys that anything is achievable with hard work, persistence and dedication……………..you just have to be brave and take the first step.
And on a lighter note……………………I’ve discovered a new setting on my very technical watch which irritates me to death as it never thinks I’ve done quite enough. Anyway………………….I’d quite obviously sent it into shock with my sudden 4 days of focus……………..for once it got it right……………training status ‘Excessive’…………………..85 hours needed for full recovery ………………….overall status ‘Exhausted’ ……………………… and it even has an image of a person doubled over holding it’s knee 🤣🤣 For once the watch and I are on the same page!
Mission accomplished!!! Four glorious days in the lakes. Because in the end you won’t remember the time you spent working in the office or mowing the lawn…………………..just climb that mountain!
So that’s quick update from me. My posts have not been quite as regular due to this mission as I’m pretty much focussed on it for the next two months and then I’ll be back up to my normal varied adventures. I’ll be back towards the end of April, if not before, with details of travels, which may or may not happen as they are via Dubai (not the greatest timing for a Dora style adventure!)…………and a final pre race update!