Monday : 3 miles on fast-ish on undulating ground
Tuesday : 5 miles and 1000ft of local loop
Wednesday : 3 miles fast-ish on undulating ground
Thursday : Tabata
Friday : rest
Saturday : Out and back of the easy leg of the Meirionnydd Round which felt like about 5 miles and 2k of climb each way at a reasonable pace.
Sunday : probably nothing as Mrs AmbitionExceedsAbility is away
Hound and I ran the section from the A 487 to the A470 and back.
View Merrioneddyd round section 1 in a larger map
The part of the Bob Graham Round most like this is probably Calf Crag. The running is quite quick in many sections, but it is boggy in a lot of places and quite undulating which makes for a good 9 or 10 mile training run. I suspect that this is the least challenging section of the Merrioneddyd Round in all aspects, distance, terrain, amount of climb and navigation. Indeed once you find the fence, just follow it worked well. Being mid Wales in later October is rained for part of the run, but the visibility was good enough to be able to see most of the rest of the Round and it is quite impressive. I can believe that it is at least 90 minutes harder than the BGR. Not even thinking about doing it, at least until we have got round the BGR, but a winter of exploring as part of the BGR training has some great wider effects of getting to know an area less than an hour from home, but wild as hell.
Attempting to do the Bob Graham had many effects. Not getting round was not the big deal I though it might have been, maybe because at least in my mind I proved to myself I could do it, now all I need to do is remove the few small barriers (a lack of Vaseline strangely being one of them), get a little bit fitter and a little bit faster than I was in September to get some margin and baring accidents, really bad weather, etc and including some humility, I should get round in May.
The Sunday after my attempt I decided it was time to change jobs. Not quite sure how it happend as I did not actually apply for a job (missed out the whole writing a C.V. and interview ball ache), I now have a new role in Engineering in Oracle stoping our customers self harming with these monsters of Database consolidation.
As a mid-life crisis, 2 1/2 years of training for and attempting the Bob Graham Round is quite tame really and keeps me out mostly out of trouble. Certainly less disruptive to family life than fast motorbikes, having an affair with fast and loose women or exploring your alternative sexuality. I do seem to be collecting agricultural and construction hardware( about 30 tonnes at the last estimate) but I am using the excuse of an investment which works for me at least.
The reasons I started running again 3 years ago and set the BGR as a goal as mostly lost in time, though I do remember one event being a catalyst. Running along the ridge this afternoon I asked why I was going to have an other go at it and what poped into my head was along the lines of
putting yourself in a high stress situation which you choose to be in gives a perspective from which to examine the rest of your life.
Each to their own, but it works for me as a justification to have an other go. No major revelations, I am happy with my lot, but there are a few things which, on reflection over the last 5 weeks, I have decided to stop doing which leaves more time to focus on important stuff.
So enough of the navel examining rubbish. Considering doing the Clwydian Hills race next sunday. A new race for me in an area I don't know.
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