Spine Problems

 So, I didn't finish again. I'm gutted, upset and frustrated beyond measure. I've thought about the Pennine Way since my brother, Phil, walked it in the late 1960s. When I heard about the Spine Race, I was absolutely fascinated and the 108 mile Summer Spine Challenger sounded perfect to me. I trained hard for the Sumer 2020 version, only to have it cancelled because of the pandemic, last year, with a limited opportunity to recce the course, I had to pull out with really painful back that left me barely able to walk. So, this year, I worked hard to address my back problems; I strengthened my glutes, keep my hamstrings stretched, did all sorts of core exercises and pilates stuff. Yes, you can always do more, but I worked hard and baring a couple of doses of a bad virus in the spring, I reckoned that I was ready. But yet again, I had to pull out with a back problem; though I manage to get 10-15 miles further than last go. If I keep this up, I should manage to finish in 2024! Except I won't be going back. That's it, my Spine journey is over. A little bit of my ambition died in North Yorkshire last night and it hurts. 

Sunset over the Calder Valley

So, what happened? Well, I had a whale of a time; I felt strong and I was two hours ahead of my time for last year. However, just after the halfway point, as I was climbing up out of Cowling, my back started to twinge. I thought it was something in my pack that was irritating me, so I took the opportunity to rearrange everything when I got to Lothersdale, but it didn't really improve matters, and by the time I got to Gargrave, I was pretty sore. Earlier in the race, my tracker had failed and coming into Gargrave a member of the Spine safety team met me to change the tracker he also gave me a couple of suggestions for easing my back. In the centre of the village, Sue met me and we sat by the river, had something to eat and I rested my back for a while. Somewhat worryingly, Sue told me that I was leaning to the right and stooped over; I thought I was standing upright! After a short break, we set off; Sue was going to walk though the village with me till the path headed off into the hills again. As we went, we saw a friend, Sally, who finished the Challenger last year and had come out to say hello. I felt pretty good at this point, but you can see from the photo that Sally took that I was still leaning to starboard. 

As far as I was concerned, I was walking upright, but I have a distinct lean

I climbed up the hill out of Gargrave and by the time I got to the top, my back was really sore and I was struggling to lift my left arm to open and close gates. I phoned Iain and asked his thoughts, he suggested a few stretches to do, which seemed to ease things for a while; and I dropped down the hill pretty well. However, when I got onto the flat along the river, I started to get sore again. I decided the best idea was to try and take a couple of hours rest, I had plenty of time and I hadn't slept the previous night, so a bit of kip would be a good idea. I phoned the Spine team and explained what was going on and to let them know that I wouldn't be moving for a while. They said that they would try to get a medic to me if I needed one. I got my head down, much to the interest of the cattle grazing in the field and within thirty minutes every midgie in Yorkshire had found me and started to feed. I gave up trying to sleep and did a few back exercises in the field (if you were driving through North Yorkshire yesterday evening and saw and elderly gent doing improbable exercises in the middle of a cow pasture, now you know why). I phoned the Spine team who said that they would try and get a medic to Airton which was just over a mile away and set off. For the first couple of minutes, I was walking really strongly and I though that everything was ok, but my back just got worse and worse and on the slight incline up to the village, I was really struggling, by the time I got there, even I could tell that my back was curved strongly to the right and I was stooping forward like a cartoon of an old man. I tried to force myself to stand and walk straight, but it was next to impossible and the pain was spreading, Basically, I was fine as long as I wasn't moving, but once I tried to walk even a short distance everything went wrong. My hope was that the medic would be able to tape me up, rub something into my back or prescribe something that would free my back up, but when I got to Airton, I learned that they were now in the next village, Hanlith. The problem was, that without something changing, it would take me hours to walk that short distance. So, after a cold wait in the village, a Spine driver came and drove me to the finish, where Sue came and picked me up.

Of course, the next day, when the weather is perfect for walking in the Yorkshire hills, I have to ask myself if I just whimped out. The going got tough, and I just folded. Of course, you never can tell, but when I found myself curved strongly to the right, I was pretty sure that it was time to call it a day. I can't see how I could ever have got up Malham Tarn, much less Fountains Fell and Pen y Ghent in the circumstances. I did the training, I did my strength and conditioning exercises, I posted motivational pictures on my computer background, but the Spine Challenger is just a step too far for me and it hurts far more emotionally than it does physically. They say that pain is temporary and glory is eternal. I pushed on through sore feet and I've got a fine crop of blisters, none of that was going to stop me. At the end, I met the Safety team member who had changed my tracker in Gargrave, he said that he had been convinced that I'd have to bail out there and was really surprised that I'd kept going - I gave it a good shot and I don't think I was just being a whimp.

Don't get me wrong, I had a great couple of days. I love the hills and being out for long days like this is a joyful thing. The sunset over Todmorden and then sunrise from Heptonstall Moor were highlights. Last year, around Walshaw Reservoir, a lapwing came close to me and seemed to give me a really good telling off. This year, at the same spot, an oystercatcher, zoomed just over my head; an absolutely beautiful sight (the oystercatcher, not my head).

Sunrise from Heptenstall Moor

However, I have to be realistic and to start thinking about what comes next. I know that running/walking distances up to 60 miles isn't a problem. I'm slow, but I get there. What I don't know is whether my problems with the Spine (pun intended) are related to the amount of time you spend on your feet, the distance, the ruggedness of the terrain or the lack of sleep. There are still lots of races and interesting challenges out there, but I may need to rethink some of my real long distance ambitions. My next event is the Dalesway in August. This is 81 miles, which is about the distance that I covered this weekend, but the terrain is much easier in general and the route, though hilly, is not as silly as the Pennine Way. This will be a good way to test myself over a longer distance, with a shorter cut off and friendlier route.

One thing I did discover in this process, is that I loved the recces for the Spine. Taking the train somewhere and then running twenty or thirty miles over the hills to a different station was great fun and I've already got some ideas! 

People. I'll never quite feel a proper member of the Spine family, but they are a remarkable bunch and it's a delight to spend time with them, but it out on the trail, or being cared for at checkpoints. Thank you. The wonderful people of the Craven Energy Triathlon club served excellent bacon sandwiches and coffee and gave me the warmest of welcomes on Ikornshaw Moor. Thank you for the food, the tent (where I totally failed to sleep), the hugs and the brilliant sign at the foot of the moor. I've not laughed so much for ages. I'll see you in January, to help look after the loonies doing the winter version!

Thank you to friends far and near for your comments on my Facebook videos, it was lovely to stop and read what you had to say. Thanks to Iain, for helping me prepare for this, for good advice and for fitting me in at lunchtime today to have a look at my back. A great physio and an even better friend. Above everything, thanks to Sue for putting up with my obsession with long lonely days on the hills. People think that running ultra-marathons is difficult, I'm pretty sure that it is easy when compared to living with an ultra runner!