Yesterday simply has to be one of the best days of my running life, if not THE best.
After a lot of "umming" and "ahhing" after having a month off from running I wasn't sure if I would be able to complete this challenging fell race. I decided that i would start it at a conservative pace and just see how i felt.
The first surprise was how flipping windy it was when I arrived at Horton In Ribblesdale! It was blowing a gale - so much so that along with full body cover we had to carry hat and gloves. There was such an amazing atmosphere on the start line and I was feeling sick as usual!
The run up PenYGhent for me was the toughest, getting my legs used to working hard up the hills was very hard work. What was fantastic on the way up was to see friends from my running club cheering me on, along with hundreds of other people offering cheers and support. As we neared the top of the first hill the runners who had already reached the summit were making their descent past us, there were a couple of trips and a nasty fall on the way down. I was pleased to see that as I "Dibbed" at the checkpoint I was on track for the timimg plan I had written on my hand which would help me to a finish in around 4hrs 32mins (This was of course a bit of a dream and I would have been happy with anything under 5 hours!)
Encouraged by this I enjoyed the flying descent down the hill and kept telling myself not to get carried away there was a long way to go! I chatted to some lovely people whilst following the track over to Ribblehead and the number of people on the route getting battered by the winds was humbling - cakes, Jelly babies and drinks were all in ample supply from kind hearted supporters and marshalls.
At Ribblehead I was delighted to get another shout from my friends and to collect my cocacola! (Great race fuel!) And boy did I need it for the climb up Whernside - It was AWFUL! The wind was horrendous and as we walked up the imposing sheer side we were getting blown over literally. There were people pulled over to the sides nursing cramp and I was elated to reach the top without agony in my legs. The run down off Whernside was very difficult - the terrain is very rocky and the wind just kept blowing me off balance. It was fantastic to see some of my pupils at the summit of Whernside cheering me on and again at the foot of Whernside I met another group of students who cheered and even offered me energy gels. It is amazing how good things like that can spur you on.
Time for some more fuel now - I eat quite a lot on long races, and had already munched on cheese and crackers (my chosen race fuel!) and now at the mid point started to nibble on one of my 9bars from the fantastic people at Wholebake. I love these bars and find them perfect for fuelling my long runs.
One final hill - Ingleborough. Strangely I had been reading Paula Radcliffe's autobiography the night before the Three Peaks and i decided to follow one of her strategies on the final hill and count the steps! Well it is 609 steps from the foot of Ingleborough up the steep side and again I was quite pleased to get to the top and feel prettyy good. The descent was brilliant apart from the rocky section at the top where my legs just couldn't quite function properly. Also the track back to Horton is a long one - something i remember from walking it with students the year before. I passed a large number of people on the final descent and i remember looking at my watch at the 23 mile mark and actually thinking " I am loving this race and will be back next year!" I finished in 4hrs 32 just short of my race plan but well under the 5hrs i had expected. I had no injuries and no problems and I will ba back next year to get a better time.
After a lot of "umming" and "ahhing" after having a month off from running I wasn't sure if I would be able to complete this challenging fell race. I decided that i would start it at a conservative pace and just see how i felt.
The first surprise was how flipping windy it was when I arrived at Horton In Ribblesdale! It was blowing a gale - so much so that along with full body cover we had to carry hat and gloves. There was such an amazing atmosphere on the start line and I was feeling sick as usual!
The run up PenYGhent for me was the toughest, getting my legs used to working hard up the hills was very hard work. What was fantastic on the way up was to see friends from my running club cheering me on, along with hundreds of other people offering cheers and support. As we neared the top of the first hill the runners who had already reached the summit were making their descent past us, there were a couple of trips and a nasty fall on the way down. I was pleased to see that as I "Dibbed" at the checkpoint I was on track for the timimg plan I had written on my hand which would help me to a finish in around 4hrs 32mins (This was of course a bit of a dream and I would have been happy with anything under 5 hours!)
Encouraged by this I enjoyed the flying descent down the hill and kept telling myself not to get carried away there was a long way to go! I chatted to some lovely people whilst following the track over to Ribblehead and the number of people on the route getting battered by the winds was humbling - cakes, Jelly babies and drinks were all in ample supply from kind hearted supporters and marshalls.
At Ribblehead I was delighted to get another shout from my friends and to collect my cocacola! (Great race fuel!) And boy did I need it for the climb up Whernside - It was AWFUL! The wind was horrendous and as we walked up the imposing sheer side we were getting blown over literally. There were people pulled over to the sides nursing cramp and I was elated to reach the top without agony in my legs. The run down off Whernside was very difficult - the terrain is very rocky and the wind just kept blowing me off balance. It was fantastic to see some of my pupils at the summit of Whernside cheering me on and again at the foot of Whernside I met another group of students who cheered and even offered me energy gels. It is amazing how good things like that can spur you on.
Time for some more fuel now - I eat quite a lot on long races, and had already munched on cheese and crackers (my chosen race fuel!) and now at the mid point started to nibble on one of my 9bars from the fantastic people at Wholebake. I love these bars and find them perfect for fuelling my long runs.
One final hill - Ingleborough. Strangely I had been reading Paula Radcliffe's autobiography the night before the Three Peaks and i decided to follow one of her strategies on the final hill and count the steps! Well it is 609 steps from the foot of Ingleborough up the steep side and again I was quite pleased to get to the top and feel prettyy good. The descent was brilliant apart from the rocky section at the top where my legs just couldn't quite function properly. Also the track back to Horton is a long one - something i remember from walking it with students the year before. I passed a large number of people on the final descent and i remember looking at my watch at the 23 mile mark and actually thinking " I am loving this race and will be back next year!" I finished in 4hrs 32 just short of my race plan but well under the 5hrs i had expected. I had no injuries and no problems and I will ba back next year to get a better time.
