Note to self : charge torch battery before night runs

I normally do reasonably well in terms of taking what is needed when out and about. On Saturday I did the course (with some slight detours) of the Pumlumon Challenge. Encountered a D.O.E. group who did a good job of pretending to be lost in toward the bottom of the Hen Gwyn valley (the most remote place in Wales, unless you know different?), Drosgol went fine and found the secret quad bike tracks which gives a very fast descent, round Nant-y-Moch, over the road and feeling on the home leg as it got dark and rained, I had planned to run the last hour in the dark away. I did 8 reps of the hill by the house the night before, so legs were getting tired as I tried to pick my way across the Land Rover (typically stuck) tracks through the bog, then my torch started flashing. I did have a spare, but it was very weedy and near useless. I had a backup spare which doubles as my phone, but decided to keep that as torch of last resort. Despite knowing this area really well, this was not good. A flashing torch with about 10 minutes light left and it was wet and dark and we were in the middle of a bog.

Last week I mentioned "the Beast" and we had been toying with each other for the previous 2 or 3 miles. Time for some clear thinking, so got into reverse and got back to the road around Nant-Y-Moch at full pace. Any hint of being tired disappeared and ran with a flashing torch close to full speed for about 5 minutes to get back to the road. At least if worst came to worst I could walk back along the road, though an lot of extra miles. As it happened, there was enough light to see along a well defined path once your eyes got used to the near dark and I took a well defined and much shorter track back to Nant-y-Arian.

Apart from the obvious, don't assume a battery has enough juice left in it, take the spare battery and a more capable back-up torch, don't pack in a hurry, the interesting bits are that when required all hints of fatigue went in a moment, for at least the next hour. This run could have been really bad if I had not got a complete mental picture of the area or if it was 100% dark (fortunately there was some moon light through the clouds), I could have been sat in a bog all night wrapped in my space blanket with a wet Golden Retriever. Being so close to home and knowing the hills well, liberties are taken which maybe should not be. Still lots learned/reminded of and a very good run out.

• Monday : 5 miles and 1000ft
• Tuesday : 5 miles on sports field waiting for small girl at gymnastics
• Wednesday : 6 miles with Brother Haslam in woods near Camberly
• Thursday : rest
• Friday : 3 miles, 2500ft 8 reps of hill behind house
• Saturday : 26 miles and 5000ft over rough ground
• Sunday : rest

A helpful hint which I got from one of Mark Smith's blogs was to put Skins under your trousers the day after a big day out and indeed it does seem to help.

Thinking about doing the Ras y Aran next weekend as I missed it last year, but will have to put the climb in across the rest of the week.