LAMM

My original partner having accepted that he'd not be fit enough for the LAMM, my club-mate having shown signs of wavering, a couple of approaches at the British having drawn blanks and a possible partner having been snapped up by someone else, I emailed the best fit on the "Partner wanted" page of the LAMM website. At first he seemed not to be in my league, but I overlooked the fact that he was only 30 and clearly getting better. Thus I teamed up with Jeff Roberts who also solved my transport problem with a lift up in the car of one of his Carnethy club-mates.

We all left Edinburgh at 15:10 so had plenty of time for the four-hour trip to Strathcarron, broken by an overpriced pub meal in Inverness, arriving at eight. There we "checked in" and spent a decent night in Jeff's mountain marathon tent before the rousing skirl of the pipes at 06:30.

Day 1: We'd been given an assembly time of 08:30 and told to "Eat a hearty breakfast" which is LAMM-speak for "we're going to take you somewhere else to start!". And indeed, filled with two bacon rolls, at 08:30 we

boarded a bus which, as we'd suspected took us, Elite and A course runners round to Tornapress. There the A and Elite were take up to the Bealach na Ba by minibus, where they got an additional map and some glorious running over Sgurr a'Chaorachain and Beinn Bhan. On a rather warm and sunny morning, we set off uphill and after the first control were in the sort of rough and trackless terrain that the LAMM is all about.I soon overheated and was struggling up, my brain incapable of adjusting to 1:40,000 MM navigation rather than the 1:10,000 orienteering of the previous week. Jeff immediately proved his worth. After about three hours, though, the sky became rather more clouded and we climbed up so it became cooler. I "woke up" as Jeff started to flag and it was his turn to hang on to me as we completed the second half of the course. We felt that we were just about keeping pace with one of the pairs who started with us and a better pair overtook us comfortably on the way to the last control. Taking 5:50:39 for the 27km and 1300m climb, we finished the first day in 7th (of 56), just 15 seconds behind 6th and 23 minutes ahead of 8th. The benefit of the warm day was that we could bathe in the river, cooling our tired legs and washing the sweat from our bodies. The began the pleasurable cycle of relaxing, eating, looking at the updated results and chatting with others we knew as they came in, all with westerly views of Beinn Eighe. Only late in the day did the weather turn wet but, fortunately, my pants, which has got wet when I went into a waist-deep bog at the penultimate control, were dry.

Day 2: The rain in the night was clearing when we were roused by the piper at 05:30. I'd slept well on my
bubble-wrap air-bed, except for half hour around midnight after I'd got up for a pee expecting the pouring rain to mean no problem with midges, only to have the swarming round my bare feet. It took ages for the "fire" to die down enough to think about being able to sleep again. It was too midgy to think of cooking outside the tent so I gave up on chocolate porridge and just ate some hill food. Jeff went off to the loo and the tent came down in no time, leaving us standing around in waterproofs. The sky steadily broke, giving a rainbow to photograph for those with cameras, and by the time we started it was dry. With B6 just 15 seconds ahead, we overtook them marking up their maps, having decided to mark up the map once everything was drier. We jogged round the track to the bottom of the inevitable steep slope up from the mid-camp and were soon slogging up a very soggy hillside. The first control was easy and there was little route choice on leg two: just contouring round above the lower, boggy-looking ground. The two green-clad Swedes and another pair were generally in sight, particularly as we began the slog up Maol Chean-dearg. Too steep for me to move well, Jeff led the way, but the others were no faster. Behind us we could see B6, now 15 mins behind us? After the horribly loose, even dangerous, gully up the Munro, I'd hoped that we'd have a rewarding steady run down the other side, but it was unpleasantly rocky and hard to move at speed. After control 4 there was just one long leg to go and it really dragged. I was tired and "knew" we didn't have to move quickly to keep ahead of B6. Of course there could be a pair from the pack who had overtaken us without our knowing or another pair who had been ahead of us and dropped back without us knowing. By now it was getting sunny and warm and the contour round the ridge took ages. his was unsurprising since it was more than 1km round

the blunt spur. Finally we were dropping down to the last real control and then the descent to the road. The final couple of kilometres I couldn't be bothered to run but Jeff was bouncing. I guess he was excited at the prospect of finishing in a prize-winning position. I roused myself into a run once we got to the event field and once we dibbed for the last time we soon confirmed that we were 6th, having taken 05:44:14 for the 22km and 1300m climb, 13th of 44 for the day. It was unusual for me to pick up a place overall on Day 2. Normally I've trashed my partner on Day 1 and lost a place or two on Day 2. With Jeff I was as well matched as I have ever been on a MM. It was satisfying to know that I could still do it and beat so many people, some of whom were half my age. We chatted with B6 when they came in, and I met one of the Swedes, who was clearly delighted by his experience. Pat and Ben didn't win Score, they were just behind Phil Scarf and partner who were pipped to first by just one point.Alex and partner were soon in, having moved up from A10 to 5th. Kate had jacked after her knee injury flared up and eventually Pete Huzan cam in from his solo run in the hills and Nigel duly finished Elite in 7th, an hour behind 6th. Got a lift back with Kate and Nigel who, with Nigel's partner and another random pair were refuelled for the trip to Durham via the vegan lasagne that Lucie cooked and had ready just as we arrived.

British Orienteering Championship weekend

Coming a week before the LAMM, the weekend of the British Orienteering Championship had looked ideal months ago as a way to "taper off" my training. In the event it saw my first outing in rough terrain and warm weather. I was asked later, where was it, and all I could say was "Northumberland". Orienteering does tend to take place in obscure places that one would not otherwise visit.

For the individual, after getting a train to Berwick-upon-Tweed, I was picked up by another ELO member who drove us to "Thrunton and Callaly", just off the A697 near Rothbury. It was a warm and sunny day so I was pretty sweaty at the end of the 3.9km route to the start. I'm not a good navigator so I had decided to rein in my tendency to run off too fast and get lost. However, the chance of running off too fast was just not there. First in bilberry-thick sweaty woodland, then on heather-clad sunny moorland, I really couldn't move at speed. But I wasn't making any real navigation errors and, after crossing the map to get the final part of the area where there was some decent orienteering to be done, via a few controls where it really wasn't pleasant to orienteer, I did OK over the final half dozen controls and finished in 123:24, a sedate 15.2 mins/km, 37th of 58. Having come with everything to camp, I got a lift to Durham where we were sixteen in the house, all but one of whom had been at the event.

The relays were at Cragg Estate and Chesterhope Common, an excellent area for the purpose, being grassy with a wealth of contour detail from past mining activity. Again it was sunny and warm which limited my speed, but I was happy to make no serious navigational mistakes again, taking 37:01 for 18 controls over 4.7km. Our "M50" relay team first leg runner had been an M55 who took 47 minutes and a W65 who took 62 minutes, so the team was 21 seconds away from being last!

All in all, it was a pleasant weekend away, spending a lot of time with people I know and like, but my legs didn't feel as if they'd done anything and the second joint of my right big toe ended up pretty bruised. And I still didn't have a LAMM partner.

So, what's been happening?

At the end of the run on 24 March I was a bit too enthusiastic coming down the short steep slopes of the fields below Monks's Rig and, looking back, got some meniscus damage below my left knee. It was sore for a few days.

The following weekend I took my younger daughter to my parents in Cheshire [and to Old Trafford to see United beat Aston Villa 4-1]. On the Sunday I went for a generally flat run near my parents and got too hot. Seemed OK descending Congleton Edge, though.

Afternoon of 11 April I went to have a look at Pressmennan Wood and Lothian Edge where I'd suggested that I would plan an ELO event in May [subsequently cancelled, much to my relief!]. It was really windy and I felt very sluggish. Again I came downhill too fast at the end of the run and my knee was sore for several days.

After that we went to Venice/Trieste (11-21 April) and I took running kit more in hope than expectation. I didn't have any confidence that I could go for a run without suffering. I did do quite a bit of walking around. Back home, I didn't do a course at the ELO orienteering event at Vogrie Country Park on 26 April but did help collect controls. Earlier that day I'd been to FASIC where I got some advice on looking after myself and some strapping on my left knee which didn't come off for more than a week.

For a fortnight, all I did was jog round the Bog Road playing fields a couple of times for a few nights and then do the Penicuik Estate 5k circuit a couple of times. By now it was getting uncomfortably close to the LAMM and I felt that I had to take a chance. So, off to the Pentlands for the flattest hill run I could think of, wearing my brand new Inov-8 212's. And I felt great! Kitchen Moss was its mesmeric best and after taking it gently down from the Carnethy-Scald Law col, I felt fresh and fast down through the fields back home for 16km (600m climb).

The following weekend was busy and only late on the Sunday afternoon did I get round to going out to the hills. I knew I needed to do something a bit rougher and with some climb, so settled on the Baddinsgill round of 17km (800m climb). I'd also wanted to try out my pair of green Walshes as an alternative to the Inov-8 212's. This was a bad idea as my heels hurt all the way round and my toes suffered afterwards: I did feel OK on the run, eventually.


With only one spare weekend before the LAMM, I was acutely aware that I still hadn't been up or down anything steep, or been out with a rucksack on. So I lobbed a tent, sleeping bag and thermarest into my bag and trotted off to do the Carnethy 5 with a double ascent of Scald Law for 16km (1000m climb). Coming off Scald Law for the first time I dropped down the grassy NE face at speed, faster than I'd been descending before [touching -60m/min], but running down it braking with my quads rather than my knees. I also came down Carnethy, touching over 80m/min on the screes. For most of the next week my quads were so stiff and sore, but my knees were fine. Conclusion: knee problems due to not coming downhill as I always used to, but dropping down onto my knees.

Back in the Pentlands

Descending Monk's Rig

Another day when the morning run didn't materialise and I had to resort to a late afternoon outing. But I was determined to get in to the hills where, leaving at 16:00, the light was beautiful and the wind starting to die down. Left Ninemileburn and took the more sheltered route up to the Kips Col. Managed to fall flat on my face in the mud when my shoe caught on a staple when jumping off a stile. Felt very sluggish on the way up: Ninemileburn gives quite a brutal start and my stomach was still digesting lunchtime's salmon. Felt better on the last bit of the climb above the col and stretched out on the run down to Gutterford.

Maintained a good pace up Cock Rig and over the rough ground down to the Bore Stane. The run over Kitchen Moss was very wet and I fell once. The studs wearing out on my shoes also doesn't help. By the time I reached the drove road the wind had largely dropped and the silence and late afternoon light were wonderful. Such a privilege to have such a large space all to myself. Started to feel a bit tired on the run up the drove road and Cap Law. Descending Monk's Rig is always a pleasure and, even after all this winter's rain, it is firm, runnable and beautifully green. The gradient is perfect: runnable on the ascent and not so steep that it's hard to go flat out on the descent. All in all, this was a satisfying 14km (540m climb) in 1 hour and 35 minutes. Back home for a quick showe then off into town to watch El Classico with Spanish colleagues. This morning I'm a bit stiff with a slight ache in the right Achilles. Not a problem, I think.

Holy Island

Not the best of training venues, but at least I got out on a beautiful and very windy Sunday morning, and before breakfast! Out with the strong westerly wind, I flew to the castle and then up to the NW point where there is a tall square pyramidal stone navigation beacon. Turned into the wind for a while before heading south again. Eventually had to turn back into the wind and made it to the village for breakfast. All of 7km with 50m climb! The walk on/off the island (5.5km each way) with a light rucksack probably also counts as training. All in a week when my LAMM partner admitted to having had two 2.5 hour runs! The end of the teaching term can't come soon enough.

Still keeping going

After three weeks of almost complete inactivity due to a visitor in the house who needed entertaining at weekends, I got out for a run just before dusk on Sunday. The only real exercise in the interim had been five hours' skiing at Glenshee, which gave my knees a good work-out.

The standard circuit when I only have half an hour to spare goes from the house up and across a field to the edge of the Penicuik Estate, round an undulating woodland path, along the estate drive, round the back of the old house, downhill across grass to the North Esk, along its bank most of the way back to Penicuik then up a steep woodland track to rejoin the field. It's only 5.25km with 140m climb but, taken at a good pace (c26min on Sunday) it requires sufficient effort to keep some semblance of muscle tone. Doesn't do much for stamina, though!

Back in training

It's been a bit of a break since my last decent run. I picked up a cold in the week after "Feel the Burns" so missed out on running the following weekend, then got busy and couldn't shake off its final vestiges. I did manage to get out on 9 Feb for a brief 5km sprint round the Penicuik Estate, and felt quite lively. Unfortunately there was a bit of a reaction in my left tib-fib ligament. 

Despite still coughing a bit, took the opportunity of the first really sunny day in weeks to do a standard "Three Hills" run from home on 16 Feb. I felt really sluggish for a long time and really couldn't run much of the ascent of South Black Hill. The cold wind and patchy snow cover didn't help. After turning towards Scald Law, though, the wind was behind me and I sailed up the few metres to the summit. Coming down was another matter, picking ground where I could be sure of grip was tricky. Down at the col I wondered whether to drop off down to the road, but saw a runner (100m?) ahead of me so gave chase. I overtook him on the final few metres of Carnethy: he was running and I was walking. Just about found enough grip on the drop down and round to the path to to lay-by and was feeling more like a runner on the way home than I had on the way out. Not a great outing but very much the "run that had to be done" if I was to keep up some semblance of the form of last month.