The dark side of the Bob Graham Round

The Bob Graham Round (I suspect any similar experiment in making the human body go up and down hills for 24 hours) seeks to expose any weakness it can find. It works away at the mind and body. Testing the character with hill after hill and rough terrain stretching out before you in your mind just that bit worse than the reality. Bad weather, darkness, coping with the inevitable slight navigation errors and other niggles is a stern test of inner strength of both pacers and the runner. So that is the kinder, sunny disposition of a summer BGR. A mid winter BGR shows a whole other darker side. 14 hours of darkness, endless sub zero temperatures, winds, limited visibility, hard ground, soft snow covering features and hazards make it a whole different ball game.

Second weekend running of BGR support. As with the previous weekend, great fun, but not with the outcome we all would have wanted. Jim Mann who completed the BGR back in September set himself a serious challenge. While I was off enjoying life a bit and getting my head set to start training again, Jim was doing 100 miles a week and getting to know the route much better.

I was to navigate leg 5 and also to provide a limited service cafe at Hare Crag on leg 1. I really enjoyed the walk in along the Cumbrian Way. The light was on as I passed Skiddaw Haus, probably just a candle, but someone was in residence. I got to the crossing point on the land rover track about 15 minutes before the group who set off at 9pm passed thorough and tied a flashing LED dog collar to the Hawthorn tree to guide them in as they came down from Skiddaw.
At 10am it was still enough to hear the voice of the runners on top of Skiddaw and easy to see their torch light.

1st group must have been a bit curious what they were running towards(a rave maybe), but had a very brief hot orange and golden syrup cake stop and headed up Calva. About 20 minute later Jim arrived minus navigator who they had left behind (with his consent of course). Dave Hindly, a class act as a navigator, is a faster plodder than me, but still a plodder. To pace Jim on the 1st 2 legs of the BGR you need to be a bit of a racing snake. Coffee and cake consumed and they disappeared up Calva. It appears that the pacer with Jim asked who was the chap with me. Jim pointed out there was no one and a bit of "yes there was", "no there was not" exchange went on the trog up Calva I was later told. I can confirm that to be best of my knowledge I was on my own at that point. Spooky hey.

A sweaty and puffing Dave Hindly turned up about 15 minutes later. We then waited about 20 minutes for the solo runner( See Baggins on page 4). We could see his light on Skiddaw and thought we better wait as a 4 hour leg in the dark on your own, even a sip of hot juice and bit of cake and 15 seconds of human company must life your spirits a bit. We then walked down to Threkeld just in time for Jim to barrel through have some Carbona and coffee thrown at him. Appears he had some fun trying to descend Sharp Edge. Not a route I know, but seems to be one to be treated with respect. More so since he came back up it again. Various bag swapping chaos ensued in Jim's wake and pacers from various groups appeared and then things returned to order. It was 2am and I had a fantastic evening. Most of it on my own, but the situation was great. Being in the middle of the mountains in moon light were great. So were my 5 layers of clothing. I was not cold, but once you stop you chill very quickly. Dave Hindly and I had a great chat on the way down to Threkeld.

Most of the next day I spent eating and drinking tea after an early aborted attempt to get to Newlands to look at the descent from Robinson. In a Volvo which gets stuck on the flat, no way.

The leg 5 crew were thinking about getting ready for the trip to Newlands, when we got a text that it was off. Disappointed that Jim did not get his crack at the mid-winter record, but all down safe. I am sure the rest of the story will be told on the fell runner forum, its not my story to tell. Hell of an achievement just the same given the conditions.

While waiting for the runners and support crew to return to the house, the three of us in the leg 5 crew went off to Threkeld to stretch our legs and I had a look at the lower second of the parachute jump descent again.

Both weekends had great people and great efforts by all involved. Mark I really feel for as his calf tore after 45+ miles. Jim just was unlucky with the conditions. The most respect to both of them.

After the last 2 weekends, my mojo for the BGR is back, but lets be very clear. I enjoy winter running, but the only BGR attempt I will ever make will be a summer one.

if you succeed at everything, you are not trying hard enough.

Main event this week was Mark Smith's winter round on friday night and saturday. I was scheduled to

1. Rope up Broadstand for an abseil descent (anticlock wise round) with my 100m caving rope.
2. Do leg 5 (Skiddaw and friends)

A rapid thaw on friday left just about as good a set of conditions as you could hope for in winter. As with supporting any round there are many other threads to the Mark Smith winter 2010 BGR story, but they are not my story to tell.

Roping Broadstand went well, apart from pulling a rock down on my face as I put a guide runner just above Broadstand. I should have spent 2 minutes clearing the rocks above. Still, I was not beautiful before hand. One of the support runners who was going to run leg 3 with Mark started an abseil and could make no progress, the rope was too tight. This made no sense to me at the time, but we made the call to take Mark down Foxes Tarn instead, as the abseil would be very slow if the rope was that tight. When I abseiled down about 10 minutes later to get the gear I left in place to guide the rope it was easy, I did the 80m in about 2 minutes, rope was loose. It appears 2 walkers use it to go hand over hand down the tricky bottom bit of Broadstand which is why Ian found it tight. Did they ask? No! Could we have choosen at any time to untie it and let it sliver down? Yes! I shall say no more as it did not effect the outcome of getting Mark round in under 24 hours, but I was not a happy Clive.

On Dollywagon Pike [ about 17 hours in ], Mark was only a couple of minute down on a 23 hours schedule, so going very well. At this point he tore a calf muscle and had to struggle back down to Dummail.. I really felt for Mark, after being so close last year. He was obviously disappointed. With a small person on the way, he felt it was his last chance for a while. Few people have been as encouraging in my rather less ambitious summer BGR objective than Mark, so if/when he wants to have an other go, he can be assured of my support. A winter BGR a big step up from a summer round in terms of commitment.

In the early 1990's I organized talks in the University in Aberystwyth by some well known mountaineers(if you were a mountaineer yourself). All were great, the most memorable being Simon Yates, Mick Fowler and Andy Perkins (in the days when he had a beard and worked for Troll). Andy came to Aber at least twice. One talk was about an 1993 expedition to Gasherbrum 4 where they did not complete the whole line. While talking about the expedition over a beer, he made a comment along the lines of

if you succeed at everything, you are not trying hard enough.

That statement has well has stuck with me over the years. If you attempt a winter BGR, you defiantly are trying hard enough.

So for my 1st week of training, only about 3000ft. These were a quality 3000ft carrying with 3 of us taking turns to carry 40 pound plus sacks up Scarfell. Sunday was taken up with hosting a 7 year old girls birthday part and taking a small buy to a cinema party which left little scope to make up for not doing leg 5.

Next week is pacing Jim Mann's winter BGR and it appears at least an other 4 groups are going over the weekend. Must remember to avoid the falling rocks from now on.

Cardington Cracker and beyond

The day after my aborted Bob Graham Round attempt, I decided to have a break until the Cardington Cracker race (about 10 weeks), get a bit faster, catch up on some other bits of my life, change job, get to enjoy running again and reflect on what I needed to do to get round in May 2011. Success on all counts.

The Cardington Cracker was a bit frustrating this year. Nothing to do with the organisation or anything like that. Speaking to others their times were down, some by about 6 minutes on the previous year because of the ice and hard ground. By the 1st gate 200m from the start I knew something was not right. I got out of breath more than usual on the flat and slight inclines. I could not attack the hills as well as I have been, so lots of people passed me. I got back some places on each descent (20+ on the descent from Caradoc), but most of them passed me by the summit of the next hill. Had a lack of serious training had such an marked effect? By the time I got home the reason for a very lack luster performance was obvious, I had picked up the stomach bug one of the kids had. Better this weekend than either of the next two.

Before putting the new plan together its useful to reflect on why I did not get round and to be quite honest about it. In no particular order

• I did not prepare mentally for the concept that I could get to Dummail behind schedule and have to pull time back
• Did not apply vaseline at the start, after leg one or after leg 2. It caught up with me on leg 3. While tolerable, it took your mind of the task in hand. Take care of those important little places.
• I had no margin of error. The BGR was at the limit of what I was capable of. This meant I lost confidence going up Clough Head, slipped a little behind schedule and a feedback loop started.
• I did not know leg 2 well enough. Despite having been over it 3 weeks before while doing legs 1 and 2. I also did it in snow in February and most of it one evening in 2008, I still did not know it well enough.
• Late September was not an ideal time to do a round. We had ice, some cold and lot of dark.
• I had too few long days out. Family collateral damage prime directive stood, but I could have used two or three more long days out a couple of months before.
• I ran too few miles in training. I did the climb and did it well. I would go out and do 2500ft of climb, but sometime in only 2 miles. I really need to get more distance in the weeks training. Maybe not every week, but most weeks.
• Some days I would go out and do hill reps and only do a 1000ft. I really needed to go out for an hour (or whatever unit of time was available) and see how many reps I could do in that time, not decide to do 3 and end up doing 2.
• I went out some days when I was too tired. I got the train/rest balance mostly spot on, but some days I should have focused on stretching and strength training or a short recovery run rather than a half hearted attempt at hill reps.
• I should have paced a BGR or 3 in 2009 in addition to a winter one.
• I was about 1/2 a stone too heavy.
• I came down from Scarfell on my own. Really needed a pacer.
• My plan for food, etc was too specific on what and when. Needed a more pragmatic plan to give pacers along the lines of "insert contents of bag marked leg ?? food into largest hole in front of Clive's head during the leg until empty".
• My legs were still tired a little from the Peris Horseshoe 2 weeks before. I don't think this was a big issue, but meant my taper was more an abrupt near stop.
• I spent a lot of leg 2 not knowing if I was ahead or behind schedule and by how much. I need to be self sufficient until Wasdale in knowing where I am relative to the schedule.

All that said, much more went right than wrong in training. I ended up fitter than I had probably ever been before and I had a good crack at it. I had only been running for 2 1/2 years, so not a bad effort for starting at the tail end of the pack in March 2008.

So what are we going to do that is different

• Get to know leg 2 really well. At least 1 out and back in training and a combined leg 1 & 2 in less than 8 hours.
• Use a more aggressive schedule 22.30 and have done each section faster than that schedule in training.
• Less hot baths and more standing in cold rivers post training runs.
• Do at least 30 miles in training every week, in addition to at least 10,000ft of climb
• Do 50 miles plus at least twice a month. Anything more ambitious would end in injury and/or madness and/or violation of the BGR family prime directive.
• Do as many hill reps per unit of time available and compete with yourself to improve.
• In my local area, much of the ground is rough, slow and hard work. The BGR is rough, slow and hard work, they are a good match, so spend more time local running than travelling to someone more interesting.
• Be under 12 stone or I must run in a shirt with "fat bastard" on the front on the 13th of May.
• Spend more time stretching and working on leg strength, not just stretch before and after running.
• I got a lotout of, and raised my game, after my blind date at Dummail with Penrith Stu. Getting out and running on the hills with other people who are a order of magnitude better than you (and are not a dog) is very positive.

There is also a large slab of "on the day stuff I have picked up", but we can leave that to the day itself.

I found not racing much a good move and only plan to do a couple of races before May. My thoughts at the moment include

• Long Mynd Valleys race
• One of the Hardmoors 55, the Wuthering Hike or the Wye valley Ultra. Preference to the longer race.
• An as yet unspecified A.M., maybe the Moelwyn race.

The next 2 weeks are a bit curious training wise as I am supporting winter BGR attempts on the next 2 weekends. I don't want to have trained so hard in the week that I become a weak link. That said there should be at least 6000ft of climb for me including Scarfell from Wasdale with 100m of caving rope. Lets hope the weather improves(read power snow goes hard), at the moment a winter round would be a hell of an adventure.