SportsShoes Blog

I’d entered the Hobble as a solo runner but on Thursday my Bingley Harriers teammate Andy Jebb called me up and asked if I’d like to run it as pair with him.

After running together in last year’s OMM we know that we’re reasonably well matched although Andy’s been piling in the miles recently so I suspected I was in for a rough ride.

This year the race headquarters moved to the junior school which proved a great base for the race although the loo queue before the start suggested a few more porta-potties might be in order for next year….

The race starts on the historic Haworth main street and it’s always fun to see the looks on the early morning shoppers and tourists faces as 200+ runners go haring up the cobbles.

We soon strung out across Haworth moor and Andy and I tucked into the second group of around 6 runners just 50 yards or so behind the lead pack. The weather was fine but as we made our way up to Top Withins the cloud rolled in and it looked like it was  to be a mirky day.

Once we were over the top and on to Widdop the cloud lifted but the wind was cold and straight in our faces. We held our position of around 7th as we passed the windmills and headed off towards Todmorden on the Calderdale way.

A dead sheep hanging upside down from two ropes from the front of a tractor greeted us as we trotted up one field - the things you see when you’re fell running…

My leg, which I’ve been struggling with recently,  felt pretty good as we weaved our way down the hill to cross the road near Tod and I was glad as it’s at this point, around 18 miles in, that the race really starts.

We worked our way up the steep climb to the Mankinholes checkpoint where I picked up a nice jam donought to help me up to Stoodly Pike.

From Stoodly you can look back towards Haworth and see the waves of climbs spread out ahead of you that are pretty relentless on the homeward 13 miles. At this point the race opened up and the top boys kicked splitting the field and pulling out a decent lead over us - we weren’t phased and knew that rather than chase a lost dream we needed to keep mashing on at our pace if we were to reach the finish in reasonable shape.

After the thigh burning decent into Hebden Bridge it’s straight back up the other side of the valley to Heptonstall where we ran into an old friend of ours John Cordingly on his post round - no wonder he’s so fit if he’s Heptonstall’s postie!!

It’s then down to Horse bridge for a quick slurp of water before tackling the long drag of a climb up through Hardcastle Crags. Here I started to fade a little and Andy was strong but I still manged to run every step and we dropped a Horwich runner who we earlier thought was a contender for the overall win.

Into the final checkpoint at the bottom of Stairs lane and we were told we we had 5 solos and 1 team ahead of us - this was a position we’d be happy to hold.

The climb up Stairs is a toughy after 30 miles of running but again despite feeling a bit jaded I managed to tap it out without resorting to a walk. Andy was setting a good pace for me running just about 10 yards ahead to keep me going.

As we dropped off the back of Stairs lane towards Oxenhope we knew we had just one last climb to go up to Penistone Hill and even though it’s only around 1/2 mile long it’s brutal.

From Penistone Hill it’s a ‘quick’ trot across the moor back to Haworth and when Andy said there were two runners just behind I managed to dig deep and find another gear.

We finished in 4 hours and 33mins and second team - although this was 6 mins down on my time of last year I was very pleased with my run and our team performance. Andy could have gone a bit faster if he’d not had me to drag round but I’m not sure he’d have made the top 3 solos so the way I see it without me he wouldn’t have got a bottle of wine!!

Bingley had a good performance on the day with our pals Dave and Ruth taking the mixed pair title.

The old pins don’t feel too bad now but I think I might take tomorrow as a rest day.

This weekend it was the OMM or the Original Mountain Marathon.

As its name suggests, the OMM is the forerunner to all of today’s adventure racing and although now in its fortyoddth year the format remains the same - Teams of two carrying all equipment required to survive in the wild for 36 hours racing over an off-road course that they only get the details of on the start line.

This year it was set in the Elan Valley in deepest darkest Wales. We were based at the Royal Welsh showground near Builth Wells but as we were bussed to the start on Saturday and back again from the finish on Sunday I don’t actually know where I spent the weekend!!

This year I ran with a new partner Andy Jebb from Bingley Harriers and as we run at a very similar pace and he shares my dogged determination and ability to never give in I think we made a pretty good team.

The weather on Saturday was forecast to be rubbish and as we made our way to the start line the heavens opened and we put on our waterproof tops - which then didn’t come off again for 2 days!!

We’d entered the A class and on the line were presented with a map showing a route around some Welsh wilderness stretching for 37km and with 1200 meters of climb around 11 checkpoints.

Within the first few kms we realised how tough this year’s event was going to be as the ground was very unforgiving. Although the area is not particularly mountainous it’s almost entirely covered in rough tussocks many of which appear to be floating in water. Where there are no tussocks it’s either bracken, bog or crag and just to add to the excitement, there are very few tracks or footpaths to help with navigation- i.e. VERY tough going.

The weather eased a little during the first hour or two but then bit back with a vengeance blasting us with wind and rain that reminded me (a little) of last year’s OMM when the event was cancelled for the first time in its history as the event control centre was starting to float away!!

We were doing OK until we got to CP6 when we had to find a way across a vast featureless moor to CP7. Despite endless references to our maps and compasses we managed to drift off line and dropped into a stream where we thought CP7 was only to find - absolutely nothing. After some further map consultation, swearing and headless chicken running we eventually realised our mistake and found CP7 surrounded by a gaggle of other competitors.

After that day 1 went reasonably smoothly although towards the end, after almost 7 and a half hours of running across moorland, the old brain and body were starting to lose some of their functionality!!

We pitched camp in a farmer’s field along with the 2000+ other competitors and tucked into our rations. First on the menu was our pork pie complete with brown sauce - what a way to relight the fire!! After that it was a pot noodle - used more for the free mug than any real nutritional value. Then the main event - Andy had bought 2 freeze dried spaghetti bolognaise meals which, after filling with boiling water and leaving to stand for 10 mins were actually pretty good.

We then dozed for a couple of hours before waking again at 10 to have a cup of tea using our pot noodle pots as cups - we decided that beef and tomato might be a nicer combination with black tea as we’re pretty sure chicken and mushroom tea will never make it on to Twinings’ menu of speciality teas. The tea was complemented by a fine piece of brandy laced wedding cake from Andy’s wedding earlier this year and we toasted a good first day with a miniature bottle of Ben Nevis whiskey saved specially for the event from the Ben race in September.

After 14 hours living in tent only slightly bigger than the one my action-man used to have, Day 2 started dry but windy and at 8.22am we were off on our checkpoint hunt again. This time it was just a 25km course and the tussocks in the south end of the Elan valley did seem a little more forgiving than those up North.

Although we used our fell running skills and stamina to cover the ground between checkpoints pretty quickly our fine navigation skills let us down. We kept playing ‘hare and the tortoise’ with slower but better navigators who we’d whizz past mid checkpoint then meet again at the checkpoint after we’d spent ages circling the area looking for the kite whilst they just dropped straight onto it.

After 5 hours and 10 minutes we reached the last checkpoint and it was then just a case of blasting down the hill following the tapes that led to the finish line. Here we made our final mistake of the weekend and in the rush to get past other competitors I lost sight of Andy. Thinking he was behind me I stopped at the farm just before the run in and waited - and waited - and waited. When he didn’t show I thought maybe he’d had a fall or his knee, that had given him some grief earlier in the day, had given up on him so I jogged back up the course with competitors streaming past in the other direction.

When I still couldn’t see him I thought I’d better press on to the finish and when I got there guess who was waiting for me - yup Andy - who’d been there for about 4 minutes!!! Oh well another lesson learned.

We finished 28th overall and very pleased with our general performance. We both feel we could do A LOT better if we practise our fine navigation and we’re already planning our attack on next year’s event.

Yesterday was Langdale Fell Race - 14 miles 4000 feet of ascent.

This is one of my favourite lakeland races as it takes in some awesome scenery and is a very challenging course both from a technical and a navigation point of view.

This year Langdale was an English Championship race so a big field of around 400 athletes were on the start line. 

It starts at the famous climbers’ pub The Old Dungeon Ghyll or the ODG as it’s affectionately known and following a half mile run along a track the first serious climb of the day takes you up to Stickle Tarn and then upwards and onwards to Thunacar Knot. At this point I caught and passed my pal Andy Jebb who has been beating me recently so I knew either he was having a bad one or I was having a good one - as it turned out I think it was a little combination of the two.

After scrambling across Black Craggs it’s another boggy blast down to Angle Tarn before a long climb up to Esk Hause shelter. At this point I had another friend and long time fell sparring partner Jason Stevens of Calder Valley in sight. He ran really strongly up the track from Angle Tarn and pulled out around 150 meters on me but as I started to tackle the contour section to Bow Fell I managed to catch him.

We stayed together over Bow and we both knew we were in for a good race. Unfortunately, although I’ve now done Langdale 3 times, I’m struggling to get a few of the sections programmed into my mental sat-nav and as we made our way over to Crinkle Craggs I said to Jason ‘do you know the route’ - ‘haven’t a clue’  was the reply so it was a case of peering into the mist to try and spot the guys in front whilst at the same time trying to dance across the jagged rocks that make up so much of this course.

Thankfully we managed to pick a good line over to Crinkle and again topped out together. Just off the summit of Crinkle is one of the most famous features of any fell race - ‘The Bad Step’ this is a rock step that needs to be back climbed as it’s approx. 10 feet verticle. We all negotiated it safely but here again I was a bit unsure of the best line.

Rather than disappearing into the mist I waited for another chap from Clayton-Le-Moors harriers who took us on a good line round to the main track and from here I knew the route so set off at a good pace down to the final climb over Pike of Blisco.

I led our team of four down the track never looking behind me and only later did I find out that Jason had taken a mighty fall and very badly gashed his knee and hand on the sharp rocks on the track.

I climbed Pike-O reasonably strongly and was glad to see ‘Team Jebb’ half way up with a drink for the Bingley team.

After the summit my navigation problems came to the fore again. Last year I got a cracking line off here and whizzed down to the finish. I was pretty sure I could remember where to go but this thought quickly vanished as I lost sight of any stud marks in the mud and found myself on a track with a solitary walker. He confirmed my suspicions that I was way off line so I had to throw a left and pick my way back across the fell to pick up the track. I could now see the guys that had summited just before me way below me on the track so set off after them as fast as I could. Then just to add insult to injury I took another wrong line that led me to the top of a cliff face which again meant me cutting back against the direction of travel to pick up the right track - I think I need to recce this bit!!!

Eventually I found my way down and following a mad dash through the campsite and along the road crossed the line in 2 hours 30 mins and 51 seconds. This is a great time for me being 5 minutes quicker than last year but I would have liked to have dipped under 2-30 and think I would have done had I not taken the scenic tour off Pike-O.

The crowning glory of this race is the hot Cornish Pasty and pint of Theakstons XB that’s waiting for you at the finish - what a way to end a hard day in the hills….

Hi folks - sorry it’s been a while since my last post - I’ve just been soooo busy!!!

Firstly, as I’ve now been officially voted in as Junior Fell Manager at Bingley Harriers I’ve decided I need some formal qualification to back up my real life experience so I’m working towards my level 2 Fell & Mountain Running Coaching qualification. When I signed up for this I suspected it might be just a case of showing your face and listening to a few dull lectures then picking up your certificate - NOT SO - this is a serious qualification that takes some serious commitment - and I’m really glad about that as to me that makes it worth trying to achieve.

I’ve done my first weekend’s course which was delivered by two fantatsic senior coaches from UK athletics and will be attending my second weekend in November after which, assuming my practical coaching logbook is up to scratch and I pass the exam, I’ll become a qualified UKA FMR2 coach - sounds good eh…

My plan is to use my qualifiaction to deliver some fell coaching starting in the new year to Bingley’s juniors (& seniors if they want it) with a view to getting more kids out training and racing in the hills.

Last week I took my first coaching session which I really enjoyed and I think some of my athletes thought was OK as well. I need to do at least 6 of these for my logbook writing each one up before and after the session and getting constructive feedback from those I’m coaching!!

Last weekend it was the 3 Peaks Cyclo Cross - an annual event that I think is both ridiculous and fantatsic in equal measure. Cyclo-cross is really the foreruner to today’s mountin biking and in the early days folks used bikes that were effectively road bikes with knobbly tyres. Today’s cross bikes are a little more advanced with better brakes (some now using disks) carbon forks / frames and wide gear ratios but fundementally they are still a road bike with skinny 700c wheels / tyres and drop handlebars.

I’ve done the peaks 7 times now and, until last week, had never had a single puncture. I set off hoping for a sub four hour time which is a 1st class award and felt pretty strong over the first hill (Ingleborough) - my descent was trouble free and I even managed to only lose a couple of places on the road round to Whernside (always my weak point). The second climb went OK and I took on an energy bar whilst battling with my pal Pete Jowett as we crossed the summit checkpoint. The descent off Whernside is always a real puncture hotspot with folks all around you frantically pumping up tyres after pinching tubes on the unforgiving stone flags and hidden rocks.

I picked my way carefully off the hill and, using the experience gained over 6 previous circuits, got some good lines and pulled out a minute and half on my mate Pete by the time we saw our mates at Ribblehead viaduct. Off I went thinking only about keeping the pressure on down the road to Horton when disaster struck. As I went through the crowds at Ribblehead I suddenly felt the back go a bit squashy and at first I thought I’d ridden through mud but looking down I saw I’d flatted. I sneaked behind some spectators so Pete couldn’t see me and changed my tube.

This really threw me as I knew I only had hand pump pressure in my back tyre which means that the road section would be slightly slower and I had to tackle Pen-y-Ghent lane on a less then perfect set up.

As I started to climb the lane I could feel the sharp rocks pressing against my rear wheel rim and was constantly waiting for the hiss. Thankfully it never came but as I turned at the summit I knew the descent would be difficult. Sure enough as I was making my way gingerly down towards the final road section, probably putting a little too much weight on the front to save my rear tyre, there was a big bang/hiss and my front tyre blew out.

There’s little more demoralising than sitting there spannering your bike as all your competitors come flying past on their way to the finish.

Anyway, having fixed my second puncture I made way along the road to the finish crossing the line in 4 hours and 11 minutes. I’ll never know but I reckon this year if I’d have stayed mechanical free I’d have broken the 4 hour barrier - oh well there’s always next year….(by the way I’ve already ordered a pair of Landcruiser tyres which are fast becoming the weapon of choice for 3 peakers - a bit heavy but tough as old boots).

This week it’s light training in prepartion for the Langdale Fell Race next weekend - a 14 mile 4000 foot trot around some of the finest scenery in the lakes.  I’ve done this race twice before and had decent runs both times so I’m looking forward to it.

Well I’m now back in Oudenaarde with the other Academy girls and its going well.  I can feel myself getting fitter and its meant I can ride more aggressively and get more out of the racing.   The last couple of weeks have seen me get my first podium placings out here, with a win too!

My first result was in Diksmuide, which was a criterium race.  I broke away with Emma Trott and Dani King, both British riders who had come to race in Belgium, with Emma being based here full time.  Myself and Emma stayed away to gain about a minute on the main bunch.  In the sprint, I attacked too early, so Emma could come round me and go first into the last corner.  Out of the corner there was only 100m until the line and so I was beaten!  A couple of days later though I managed to get a win in Herentals, also a criterium. With my parents and sister watching, as they had come over from the UK, I really wanted to do a good ride and was aggressive in the first few laps.  Eventually, having attacked into a corner which lead out on to a cobbled section, I managed to get away.  With my teammates helping to chase down attacks from the main bunch, I spent the rest of the race riding on my own to take a solo win!
 
From Herentals it was straight to Germany for a crit in Dortmund on the Saturday night.  With a UCI race, Sparkassen Giro the next day, it was a quality field and a bit of an eye-opener coming in for the bunch sprint and surrounded by so many riders! With a lap and a half to go I had managed to get myself in the top 6 but then I hit a stone in the road, and looked down at my wheel for a couple of seconds and found that I had completely lost my place. Finished at the top end of the bunch.
The next day it was Sparkassen Giro, an 88km race which was ‘lumpy’ with one main climb.  I climbed okay and managed to keep myself in the main bunch. Unfortunately I couldnt get myself to the front of the group again but managed to get 18th place, which upon reflection I decided wasn’t too shabby.

After we came back from Germany, my family were still around for another couple of days so I spent my rest day with them which was really nice. Had a look round Oudenaarde and sampled the local cakes which I have to say aren’t too shabby either!

Sorry it’s been a while since my last post but as I said I needed to get back to basics and try and regenerate.

Following my Wasdale disaster I had almost a full week off - it took me until Friday following before I could walk down the stairs properly. I then started to put together a solid period of training and feel that I’m just starting to get back into shape but feel there’s still a way to go.

I’ve been running every day now for the last couple of weeks and done a few twice a day sessions. I also did a 2 hour run over Ilkley moor the weekend before last and a 2 hour 48 min run up Pen-y-Ghent and Ingleborough last weekend in filthy weather.

I’ve also started to put more effort in to my morning sessions by running up Hope Hill near my home each day that I’m not training in the evenings (Monday, Wednesday, Friday).

Having said all this I’ve still got a tight right Hamstring and really need to try and get this fixed over the next week as it’s Sedbergh Hills race next weekend.

This will be my first race back after Wasdale and will be a good test to see if my recovery is going in the right direction. It’s 14 miles and 6000 feet so no push over and if the mist is down it can throw up a few nav issues.

Shortly after that we’ll be heading North for the Ben Nevis race so I really need to get some altitude in my legs. There’s no race in the calendar that will show up a lack of fitness more than ’the Ben’ - 1 mile flat 4 miles up 4 miles down 1 mile flat - simples.

The other big news of the last few weeks is that I’ve been asked (and agreed) to take over the role of Junior Fell Manager at Bingley Harriers. I’m really excited about this and see it as a great opportunity to  bring more kids into the sport I love and put more blue and white hoops out on the fells.

This weekend I’m planning a long run on Sunday to continue building  my stamina then next week I’ll run each day but only nice and steady leading up to Sedbergh.

But first to bed - I’m feeling a bit tired after all my early mornings and I’ve no need to spring out of bed tomorrow so might allow myself a lie in ’til 8!!

Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear - what a shocker of a race I had last weekend.

With the benefit of hindsight, perhaps I’d have been better giving this one a swerve but, as I’d already pre-entered, the Yorkshireman in me made me travel up to Wasdale to take on the infamous Wasdale Horseshoe Fell race.

At 21 miles and 9000ft of climb (& descent!!) Wasdale is regarded as THE hardest race in the fell running calendar.

The route starts at the National Trust campsite at the head of Wast Water and goes over Whinn Rigg, Seatallen, Pillar and Great Gable before finishing with a  quick trip up and down England’s highest mountain Scafell Pike. The last mile is an absolute killer with a suicidal descent down the nose of Lingmell back to the campsite.

As we trundled up to Wasdale the night before the race, it dawned on me that as I’d spent any recent free time of reasonable length putting miles in on my bike in preparation for the Marmotte (see earlier post), the longest run I’d done since the 3 Peaks in April was a measly 1 hour 20 mins!!! Here I was about to take on a 5 hour trek around England’s biggest mountains - not perhaps the wisest thing to do….

Despite forecasts to the contrary, Saturday dawned bright and sunny and rather than worrying about being hammered by rain or blown off a ridge by a gale force wind, we were all more concerened about sunburn and dehydration.

We set off at 11.00am and the first climb up Whinn Rigg is steady but immediate as it starts to rise right from the start field. I didn’t feel too bad up this first climb and kept in touch with my mates Andy Jebb and Paul Mitchell as we dibbed the first checkpoint. From here it’s a very steep drop back down into the valley bottom and as I hit the valley and started my way across to Seatallen I already knew I was in for a tough day - my legs felt heavy and I was already very hot.

I took on some water at the road crossing and popped a Nuun tablet into my bottle - it’s the first time I’ve used these little fizzy fellows and I must say I was mighty impressed - they certainly earled their place on some more adventures - check em out at http://www.nuun.com/.

The climb up Seatallen is a real grueler and when I reached the top it took a lot of effort to squeeze out a feeble ‘thanks for marshalling’ to the chap with the dibber.

The next section of the race is real lakeland ‘eye-candy’ and the weather on the day made it a truly special view across Scoat Fell and on to Pillar standing majestically in the distance. Unfortunately I was now in deep trouble, with only two checkpoints in the bag and the real serious climbing ahead I’d blown. As I staggered across to Pillar, on a track that’s a runner’s dream on fresh legs, I had to stop at any sign of water to rinse my face and soak my trusty Buff that was draped down my neck in pirate fashion.

I tried to take on a Zipvit energy gel but it was way too caffeinated and thick and wouldn’t go down. By this time the DNF devil was already knocking at my shoulder and I was trying my best to ignore him and enjoy the view. This was my first race as a Vet 40 and although I’d already given up any hope of a decent time or position, I didn’t want to mark my passage in to seniority by packing.

I pushed on up Pillar and managed to get a good line round to Wind Gap which cheered me a up a bit as I’d missed it last time I did the race in 2005. By now folk were coming past me in droves and I was already starting to see faces of runners that I usually beat by miles in events like this - with two big mountains to go this was going to be a huge test of will power and stamina….

I came off Pillar and looked seriously at Black Sail pass disappearing off to my right which offered an easy passage back down to Wasdale head, the camper van, cold drinks, real food and a pub. The words of my old pal Ady Netherwood were ringing in my ears “I haven’t got a pack in me…” and thinking about how much better the beer would taste that night if I actually managed to finish, I pressed on towards Great Gable.

The Gable climb on the Wasdale race is a beast - straight up the back - getting steeper and more technical as it climbs, to the point where you have to pick your line carefully and scramble using four points of contact over the summit boulders to the checkpoint. Here a kindly marshal took pity on my sunken eyes, drooped shoulders and wobbly legs and gave me a sweet - a little jelly man. This kind gesture picked me up far more than the few milligrams of sugar that I sucked out of my little gelatine friend and I stumbled down to Sty Head where I knew my mates mum and dad would be with a drink. As I approached Anne she held out a bottle of juice and asked if I was having a bad day. This was not a real question that needed an answer but a kind of acknowledgement of my suffering and in a strange way it made me feel a little better as I knew that she knew I was well out of position and that I was on a personal crusade just to finish - as I passed Pete he commented that there was just one little climb to go - we smirked at each other both knowing full well that this ‘last little last climb’ was up the path to the highest point in England!!!

As I set off up to Esk Hause I knew I was beaten but also that I’d finish as once you’re passed Sty Head there is no other escape routes.

The rest of the race was nothing more than a trudge interspersed with a few feeble jogs and as I neared the summit my good old pal Dave Stephenson caught me - ‘Hi Andy - have you blown?’ - ‘Back on Whinn Rigg!!’ was my reply. Dave looked strong and after forcing me to take one of his gels (his SIS-Go gel tasted much better) he romped off into the distance leaving me staggering like a wounded soldier up to the summit.

I dibbed at the top, thanking the marshal but completely blanking the dozens of other folk up there, most of whom I guess were on their second peak of a National 3 peaks 24 hour challenge, and headed off down to the finish.

There’s a famous saying that suggests that a mountain has not been conquored until you’ve been to the top AND back down again and I was now starting to think of what lay ahead. The descent off the Pike is possibly harder than the ascent as it’s very technical at the top, then it gets steeper towards the bottom and just as your quads start to shout for mercy there’s a 1 mile plunge down Lingmell on a steep loose track.

At points I was reduced to walking backwards down here as my quads had gone on strike but eventually I reached the finish, dibbed and went to find a place to rest. I was VERY grateful that none of my pals were there to greet me as I was in no mood for chatting. I literraly flopped down in the grass with my back against a fence and sat, and sat and sat.

Shortly after my mate Steve Fry finished (Steve had been for a 10 mile run the night before and then jogged the course slow and steady as a training run for his forthcoming Lakeland 100 race) and as always he was so full of words that lots of them were falling out of his mouth. By this time I was once again ready to accept guests and his chipper manner brought me round a tad. We traded our race numbers for some ’stew’, which one runner suggested had been made using cigars instead of meat, and after a couple of cups of tea I started to come round a bit.

A quick shower and a change of duds and off we went to the pub for a proper meal and some ‘rehydration’.

All in all a hard day in the hills which again was an exercise in perseverance and determination but, all things considered it was a great event and another weekend of experiences to add to the ‘we’ll laugh about that one day’ drawer (which is getting rather full…!!)

Now, as Doctor Who says - I think it’s time to Regenerate…….

I did it - but not easily!!!

If I learnt one thing on Saturday it’s that I’m a far better runner than I am a cyclist.

5 weekend warriors who think a 2 hour mountain bike ride is a big day out turned up in Borg D’Oisans in the French Alps and lined up alongside 7000 other Marmottiers most of whom were seasoned vetrans of long distance cycling - and we got our butts well and truly kicked by the course and most of the opposition. That said we all got round and survived to tell the tale which, to be honest, I think is a real result when I consider how much training we didn’t do and just how hard the course actually is.

We were camping right at the foot of the famous Alpe D’Huez climb which was to be the last climb of the day in the race so on the Friday before the event we jumped on our bikes and set off up the hill for a quick recce. Even with fresh legs we quickly realised what we’d let ourselves in for and decided at turn 18 to only ride up to turn 10 (of 21) before heading back in to Borg and a cafe.

For the race itself we were thankfully blessed with fantastic weather meaning that even if we died on the course our parting shot of the world would be one of  Alpine mountains bathed in sunlight….

Off we went along with the other 6000+ starters at 7.30 am and managed to enjoy the first 10-15k or so as we cruised along the flat towards the first climb of the day - Glandon. Here I learned a lesson that will stick with me forever - NEVER underestimate a climb based purely on its gradient. Long climbs are simply not something we have here in the UK so most of our climbing tends to be short and steep. As such, when you’ve conquored a 25% lakeland climb one can easily fall into the trap of thinking that a 10-12% climb should be a piece of cake…..WRONG….. The difference is that the lakeland climb, whilst being stupidly steep, will be all over and done with in 10 mins as it probably stretches between 0.5 and 1 mile in length - in France the 10% climbs can go on for 20 miles - NON-STOP. You really do start to think ‘is this ever going to end???’

At the top of the Glandon we regrouped and fed and watered ourselves before chucking ourselves off the other side of the col. At the top and a little way down the hill there were marshals waiving orange flags and shouting things in French that I didn’t understand. After a few minutes it became clear what the fuss was about as there were a number of fairly serious crashes with bikes and bodies laid around in increasingly sorry looking states. Seeing this does tend to make you ride a little more cautiously but the descents are so long and steep that going slow is almost impossible - you really have to keep your wits about you and hold a rock steady line in the bends to avoid hitting or being hit by other riders.

After Glandon we picked our way through towns, villages and a main road to reach the foot of the the Telegraphe / Galibier. Here we saw a sign saying that col Galibier was 35km away (almost all up hill!!!).

I climbed the Telegraph slowly but steadily passing lots and being passed by only a few and at the top grabbed a qucik fill of the bottles before hurtling down to the foot of Galibier with 2 of my pals. Here was another food station and although we waited  quite a while for the others to catch up, I don’t think I took on enough calories.

The next climb up Galibier is the longest of the day and to make it even more fun it gets steeper as you near the top. It’s also one of those famous Alpine climbs that weaves in a series of switchbacks up the hill and from certain points down below you can almost see to the top. A quick look up to the right can seriously damage your mental well being if you’re not careful as you’ll see riders hundreds of vertical feet above you grinding away still with miles of climbing to go themselves. I found the best trick was simply not to look where I was going but just concentrate on where I was and where I’d been. Just like looking up can shatter your confidence, looking down on riders far below can also give you a mental boost. 

Eventually I reached the snow patched summit and met my two pals Pete and Rich - we donned our windproof jackets and set off on the 35km descent towards Borg and the dreaded Alpe D’Huez.

Despite feeling strong on the climb, instead of enjoying the descent I almost immediately began to feel dreadful with stomach cramps and I realised I was in for a tough time. When I reached the bottom of the descent I took off my jacket and had to go and find a loo. Although this brought a little releif, I felt physically weakened which was odd as this was by far the easiest part of the course and it should have been a blast.

I cruised along to the final feed station at the foot of the Alpe and took on some coca-cola and a gel. The 3 of us then set off to attack the Alpe.

As I started the climb I didn’t feel too bad and even thought about trying to climb it without resorting to my lowest gear which I’d managed not to use so far in the day. That thought was quickly dashed and by turn 18 I was spinning away in my 34-25 gear and wishing I had a lower one!!

I climbed on and up to turn 10 where we’d been the day before but this time with a hundred miles of hard climbing already in my legs it felt much steeper and longer than it had previously.

At turn 10 I hit the wall - not literally but physically and psychologically my wheels had come off. The temperature was 36 degrees and there’s very little shade on the climb. I battled on to turn 8 but here I had to give in and have a rest. The remainder of the climb was pure torture and the km markers that start at 10km from the finish seemed to pass by at an alarmingly slow pace.

I finally dragged my sorry soul across the line over 10 hours after starting out and could do nothing else but lay the bike down and drop to the ground for a well earned rest.

Once we’d all arrived we whizzed back down the Alpe to the campsite, had a quick shower and headed in to Borg for a few beers and believe it or not a Kebab. I know these aren’t good for you but as I’d burnt off 9438 calories during the day I think the couple of thousand that were in the Kebab just fell into a gaping void in my stomach.

Looking back on the weekend I think it was fantastic - we all achieved what we’d set out to achieve and conquored one of the toughest one day cycling events in the world. I personally realised just how fit and fast pro cyclists are and learned that whilst a fit person may be able to finish, to do the event in a decent time means many, many hours of bike specific training.

Would I do it again - course I would and next time I’m going to wheelie all the way up Alpe D’Huez whistling On Ilkey Moor Baht’at as I go……

Well here goes, my first ever blog entry!

I’m sat in yet another hotel room in Cardiff getting ready to compete tomorrow night in the Super 8 meeting. I’ve just returned back from Poland where I competed in the 1500m at the 55th Janusz Kusocinski Memorial meeting and ran a lifetime best of 4.05.06 , the World Champs A Qualifying time! Woo Hoo, I knocked nearly 3 secs off! What a relief. Feels great to have the qualifying time in the bag and all I need to concentrate on now is getting in that top 3 at the trials in July and I’m on the plane to Berlin!

I was in the SportsShoes shop just before I left for Poland and purchased the Skins half shorts and I love them! Felt great to race in! I also got a new pair of the Saucony Triumphs, which I also love! The cushioing is just the best. I raced in the Saucony Endorphin MD spikes and they are fast! Really get you up on your toes and also have great cushioning.

Ok, well I’ll be on again soon to let you know how I go in the Super 8 meet. Look out for me on Sky Sports 2 Friday night showing the highlights! I’m the one who will hopefully be winning with the big curly hair!

Charlene x

Tomorrow it’s the Millennium Way Relay - a 50 mile off road route that goes from Bingley over Oxenhope, Oakworth, Laycock, Steeton, Silsden, Addingham, Ilkley, Baildon and back to Bingley.

The course is split into 5 legs and each leg is completed by 2 runners.

I’m running leg 2 for Bingley with my mate Jamie Robinson. We have a reasonably strong team in the event this year so I hope I can do OK but I’m a little worried as Jamie is running much better than me right now so I think he’s going to run me into the ground (he’s looking forward to it as I killed him in the Calderdale Way relay a couple of years ago).

Our leg is 10 miles long and goes from Marsh near Oxenhope over Bronte Bridge then out to Laycock via Oakworth and Goose Eye. It’s a real up and down affair and the finish is truly awful as it’s a quarter mile of very steep tarmac hell to the handover so everyone will see us (well me at least) at our very worst as we cross the line and pass the baton to our leg 3 team mates.

Jamie and I recced it a couple of weeks ago and it was very wet. It should have dried out a bit now but I think I’ll still use my inov8 X-talons.

This week in prep, I’ve done very little just my 20 min runs in the morning and a 3 mile race (very low tempo) with my kids on Tuesday night. Then a steady hour on the road bike today.

I’ll be back soon to let you know how we got on……..