Here I Go Again

 Well, in just over two weeks, I'll be lining up on the start line of the Spine Challenger; looking forward to covering 108 miles of the Pennine Way in sixty hours. Except that last time I tried, things didn't go to plan and I had to pull out after a mere seventy miles.

The path up Black Hill does seem to go on forever

So why am I putting myself through this all over again?

Well, partly it's because I didn't finish last year and I feel that I have unfinished business. The other, is that I really can't think of many things that I'd rather do than spend the best part of three days and two nights out on the hills. Yes, it will be tiring, bits of me will hurt and I'll struggle to get out of bed for days afterwards (I'm glad we live in a bungalow), but there will be hills, curlews, lapwings and rabbits. I'm a simple soul at heart.

There are also carved hares (Malham Tarn)

Will I finish this time?

That's the big question. There are, of course, no promises. I could twist an ankle in the first mile and not even get onto the hills. These things happen. Last year, I was making fairly good progress until my back started to really hurt. I've worked hard on my core strength this year, so hopefully I'll be better equipped on this front. I've also got a new 20l running pack which doesn't sit as low on my back as the one I had last year. 

I do have a significant issue this year; my training has just not been as good as I would have liked it to have been. In March and April when I should have been putting in a lot of miles to build my base endurance, I suffered from two viruses, which put me out of action for weeks. One of these was definitely Covid, while the other did a good impression of Covid without troubling the NFT tests. That being said, I've been running fairly well recently, so it could be that things won't be too bad.

On the summit of Pen y Gent

Then again, I do have some things going for me.

Firstly, I have a much better idea of what I'm getting myself into. Last year, I was not able to recce the course because of the various lockdowns we lived through. There were some parts that I found really difficult simply because I had no idea how long they would last (the climb of Black Hill stands out in that regard). This time round, not only have I last year's experience to fall back on, I've also managed to recce the vast majority of the course in the last few weeks. The only bits that I've not visited are ones that I already know really well. I have a much better idea of what I'm getting myself into The climb from Crowden to Black Hill is still very long, but now I can adjust my expectations because I know what is coming. I also learned some valuable lessons about managing the race.

Wessendon Head

The other thing that I feel better about is my ability to pace the race. Last year, I covered the first 25 miles or so with two other guys. The thing is, they were moving at a different pace to me. They were faster uphill, but significantly slower on the flat and downhill. I adjusted my pace to meet theirs, which on balance wasn't the best thing I could have done. I'd have saved energy and moved faster overall, if I'd done things my way. It is very tempting to team up with other people on these things and 108 miles is a long way to go on your own. However, I have to go at a pace that suits me and not worry about others. Of course, my pace will slow as time goes on. Another thing is to "run within myself" this is a phrase that I've taken from a blog post by a friend, Ray Poynter, who is older (but much fitter) than me and who runs silly distances. 

My strategy in long races is to run inside myself, by which I mean, not getting too hot, not too cold, not too hungry, not too exhausted. This means I run a bit slower, but if you get a bit too anything (cold, hot, tired, hungry etc) it takes quite a long time to get back on an even keel. 

So as things stand, I'm not over confident and I wish I was fitter, but I'm feeling pretty good. I'll be very slow, but as long as I complete the course in 59 hours, 59 minutes and 59 seconds, I'll be happy. 

On the train home from one of my recces, the passengers were dog tired