One To Remember

I've been running regularly since April 2011, and mostly on the fells of the Lake District in England, with the odd few miles on the back roads near my house. I used to think Fell Runners were crazy people, why the hell would you take an already demanding sport, and then stick a great mountain in the way and carry on regardless! Alas in April 2011 I joined these crazy people with my first fell run, though it was more of a fast walk with intermittent running on the flatter and more downhill sections, with the odd coughing fit thrown in for good measure. I was hooked though.

One of my favourite run - come - walks is Latrigg, on the outskirts of Keswick. The route I use to the summit is a little under 2 miles, but climbs a hefty 1000ft, meaning a sustained lung buster of uphill from the outset. I've never managed to reach the summit without being reduced to a walk, it's always been a goal to achieve the summit without walking any sections, and to some extent, to be able to call myself a fell runner.

In a previous blog I've spoken about the effect the heart transplant has on me: that when I begin exercising my heart doesn't realise and plods on at about 68bpm, making any run difficult, let alone running up a mountain! Latrigg starts out on Spooney Green Lane, it dips down from the main road and then climbs gently up onto a bridge over a major road and then onto the trail. The lack of output from my heart usually has me walking by the time I reach the bridge, not really the best start! Though it has occurred to me that I regularly run steeper and longer hills without this need to walk, so what was different?

To be brutally honest, I think Latrigg had me beaten before I even started. I know its steep, really steep in parts, and I don't think I've ever believed that I could actually manage to run non stop to the top. 

A friendly 'rivalry' on twitter has brought about a Hillage Challenge - how much vertical gain you run in the month of February. There's no prize, no bestowing of greatness on the winner, just a friendly bit of banter to spice up the running for a month. Obviously living on the doorstep of 300+ mountains gives me a pretty nice advantage to hit some big ascents, and a fair chance at being near the top at the end of the month. At the end of the day it will simply help push my own limits and to get into the higher climbs more often.

So, being the first of February, I figured an ascent of Latrigg would kick off the hillage in pretty good fashion!

I finished work (where I'm on my feet for 8 hours) and headed over to the start of Spooney Green Lane. Shorts, t-shirt, lightweight smock jacket, head torch, watch, New Balance MT110's and a small waist pack with car key, phone, energy gel and spare batteries for head torch, same as any other night run. The only difference was that I was on my own, whereas a few guys from work usually come along.

I waited for my watch to find the satellite and then hit the start button and set off, down the dip onto Spooney Green Lane and into the climb up to the bridge. I hit the bridge and I was still running, my breathing wasn't particularly laboured and my legs felt pretty good, non of the usual screaming for oxygenated blood! I carried on over the bridge and up the incline to the gate at the cottages, still moving.

After the gate the trail bares its teeth with the steepest part of the route, a lung busting and leg killing stretch for maybe only a 1/3 of a mile or so, but steep! I leaned into the climb and took little steps, fully aware that I would be walking fairly shortly. A strange thing happened though, I kept running. 

A guy I used to run with in 2011 once told me the key to running uphill was to run until you felt the burn, run a bit more then change your gait or posture ever so slightly until the ache subsides, when the ache returns, change again. I've tried relentlessly over the past 2 years to this, to no avail, the burn comes, and then it worsens then I walk. 

Today the burn came, I ran some more, change my gait and lean slightly and the burn subsided! When it returned I simply changed my gait and lean until it subsided and carried on. At this point a little voice said "if you manage this steep part, you can reach the summit without walking" 

The trail eases off slightly after the steep climb, though still heads uphill! I'd beaten the 'scary' part, surely the rest was academic? Just before the first mile ticked over on my watch, my calves were burning pretty well, but I was adamant that I was going to run the whole way! I carried on up the switchbacks, firstly with a tailwind helping push me uphill, then into the wind, then the tailwind again, and back onto the main trail to the summit.

I made it to the bench below the summit and I was smiling, just one short steep climb then a pretty flat run to the summit, it was really going to happen, I was going to run non stop to the top! The steep climb between the bench and the summit seemed to roll by without much effort, and then it was there, the summit!

I'd ran, for the first time ever, non stop to the top of Latrigg!!! I was elated! I was Rocky at the top of the steps! It was my slowest ever ascent of Latrigg by 2 minutes, but I had ran the whole thing! It could have taken me 2 hours and I wouldn't of cared! 

I stood on the summit for about 60 seconds, the wind was whipping across the summit and soon chilled me, so I set off on the descent. I took it pretty easy on the descent, concentrated on form and enjoyed myself. 

When I reached the gate at the cottages near the end, I couldn't ignore the call of nature any longer and took a quick bathroom break. My breathing was relaxed, my legs weren't tired and I was feeling pretty good, and the little voice came back "reckon you can do it again?" and the voice didn't mean again tomorrow, it meant again right there and then!

15 minutes after running up there for the first time ever, I was contemplating doing it again! So I grabbed the energy gel and ate it, turned to face the steepest part again, and set off! What the hell was I doing!!

My quads were screaming on the 2nd ascent, and I did fully expect to be reduced to a walk, turn around and go back to the car.

I kept running, I embraced the pain in my legs, used it to propel me up the mountain for the second time, albeit a touch slower! I made it to the switchbacks and I was still running, surely the muddy foot grabbing nature of the switchbacks would prove too much.

I made it to the main trail, I was still running and I was grinning like a lunatic, my legs were feeling better and my breathing was still controlled and steady. I rounded the bench and started the last climb. Towards the top I was beat, I was ready to walk even though I was only 30 metres or so from the summit. Then I was over the climb and onto the relative flat to the summit.

At 6pm today I had never ran non stop to the top of Latrigg and honestly never thought I could. By 7:30pm today I had ran up it twice. 

As far as I'm concerned I can now call myself a Fell Runner.