There is nothing that ultra-marathon runners like more than talking about food. The like to talk about shoes, backpacks and other gear, but food is what really gets them talking on the Facebook fora. Of course, being a group of enthusiasts, they don't talk about food, they call it nutrition. Every group needs its own specialised vocabulary. For the most part, the discussions are around which particular scientific gel or concoction is the best. While I don't mind a bit of specialised running food, I much prefer normal stuff. I'm as likely to have mini pork pies and BabyBel cheese in the pockets of my running vest as any isotonic gels. The great thing about finishing a race is the meal at the end; pasta, veggie chilli or something equally packed with protein and carbs. The best post ultra food was at the, now sadly discontinued St Begas Ultra, where they gave you vouchers for a fish and chip van and the beer tent. After 35 miles through the Lake District, that food and beer tasted so good!
When running the Spine Challenger last summer, I had a few major food stops planned. There was the first checkpoint at Hebden Bridge (lovely pasta), the bacon sarnies at the Craven Energy pop-up station near Cowling (pronounced "coaling", by the way) and then I promised myself a hot pasty at the COOP in Gargrave, before slogging my way to the finish for whatever high carb delights awaited. Well, as you may know, I never did get that Pasty; something happened to my back about four miles short of Gargrave and I packed up and went home.
Today, as I was preparing for this year's Challenger, I decided to run from home over to Gargrave, both to recce a bit of the course and to get that pasty - I'd only been waiting nine months!
So I started from home and ran up the main road to Cowling. It's not my favourite place to run, but it's one I do fairly often in the winter. It's a long slow climb and it's a great way to measure your fitness. I'd not been feeling well this week and I was carrying a heavy pack, but I ran without a walk break, so I felt pretty good about that.
In Cowling, I picked up the Pennine Way where it meets the road, drops down over a bridge and then starts the climb up Cowling Hill. Just as the climb started, I bumped into a chap that I often chat to over his farm gate on winter road runs. He has three labradors and a huge St Bernard, so I had to stop for a talk. The St Bernard is awfully sloppy and slobbered all over me, which I didn't mind too much, but when he tried to put his paws on my shoulders and lick my face, it was a bit much! While I chatted to the dogs (and their owner), a couple of curlews flew overhead burbling away.
I continued up Cowling Hill, stopping at the top to admire the view and take a photo. There were a couple of lapwings chasing rooks overhead when I stopped, but you need more than a phone to get photographs of that sort of action.
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| Looking over towards Skipton |
At the top of the hill, I crossed my normal winter road running route and followed a small lane down hill, before climbing a stile and dropping down a steep grass slope to a lovely beck - at least it's lovely this time of year - it's freezing cold in winter.
I crossed the beck, climbed up a small hill and was rewarded with a lovely view of Lothersdale.
I've no idea who Lother was, but he knew how to pick a spot.
From Lothersdale it's slog uphill over grassy fields and then a rough track to the summit of Pinhaw (pronounced Pinner) Beacon. Pinhaw is a great viewpoint on a clear day, but, in my experience, clear days are few and far between. There is a new viewpoint table which describes the view; for people on the Pennine Way, Gargrave, Malham and Pen Y Ghent are the next three major points.
The drop down from Pinhaw is initially on a stony path, then takes a road before turning left through a gate and following a path (take the right hand fork) downhill which turns into flagstones and then a wooden walkway before crossing a small bridge. At this point, the Pennine Way takes a most un-Pennine turn. For the next ten miles or more most of the route goes through gently undulating fields; it makes a nice change from the gritstone fells further south, but the navigation is tricky. The path isn't clear across a lot of the sheep pastures and you have to keep a careful look out for the footpath signs. The paths lead to a short tarmac road which takes you up into the village of Thornton-in-Craven - the ignominious end of my Spine Challenger last year. This time round, I felt good and there was no chance of me stopping; though I'd only covered 11 miles that morning and not the 70 that I'd covered last year. There were three red kites overhead at Thornton, which looked lovely and reminded me of living in the Chilterns.
In Thornton you cross the main road and then follow a small side road which eventually turns into a footpath and over more undulating fields before you come to the Leeds and Liverpool canal, which you follow for about three-quarters of a mile, past this smashing bridge.
From the canal it's about a mile and a half down a road, then over more trackless fields before you drop into Gargrave (don't miss the path on the right just after the railway line). I was getting a few twinges of plantar fasciitis as I came into the village, so I wasn't too sad to be stopping, though it was a lovely day for a run.
Gargrave was heaving with tourists, but I made my way through the throng to the COOP and found the hot food section. There were no pasties! I'd run fifteen miles and I couldn't even get a hot pasty! There is no justice. The only thing available was a hot dog - sans mustard, sans onions and sans ketchup. It was a dry roll with a sausage in it. What a disappointment.
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| An old man in shorts and a t-shirt, drying out after the affection attentions of a St Bernard |
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