In the moment
This was my third Lakeland 50 and I really should know the
way by now. When Andreas mentioned he was running in the Lakeland 50 a few years ago, it sounded impossible and way beyond my ability. I had
some really nice days and weekends reccying the route before the first year I
did this race, in 2013, including a night time reccie in high temperatures of
Ambleside to Coniston.
So I decided to run the Lakeland 50 without a watch, just to
enjoy every second, minute, hour, step, yard and mile. I don’t really care for time, I care that I
enjoy the journey and if my time is good then fine.
My time in 2013 was 13h 56m, 40s, in 2014 it was 12h 44m 34s, so this year I
would like to improve on that but that’s by the bye for me.
The luck and luxury of having such good health that I can
even make the start let alone the finish of such an event is not lost on
me. The build up to race day guarantees
to lift my mood. On the train from
Manchester I had hoped to sleep but had to stand, still, cycling from
Windermere to Coniston was the usual treat, the ferry across Windermere now a
much loved fixture for me and my bike.
Excited to be in the Lakes I fly down the hill to Coniston
and register, catch up with Andreas and Amanda who are marshalling this year,
and Jenny who is here to support Steve on his L100 attempt; I pitch my tent and
say hello to people who I have made friends with over the last few years.
I land next to my friends who are new recruits to this
event, Izabela and Jason who I met in Snowdonia nearly a year ago. They had been camping near Chapel Stile last
year and having watched the parade of L50 and L100 runners staggering through
the campsite towards Chapel Stile last July they entered and trained to be in
it.
At the briefing on Saturday morning we were told we were
creating tomorrow’s memories, and to live in the moment.
"Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while you could miss it" (Ferris Bueller)
is staring down at us from the big screen.
which put me on mind of
“And I urge you to please notice when you are happy, and exclaim or murmur or think at some point, 'If this isn't nice, I don't know what is.' ” (Kurt Vonnegut)
Heaven for me is a day with no eye on the time. Most days I am clocking the passing of time
and wonder where it has gone as I work my way through my to do list, run for
trains and every time I press snooze is time I could be on the foam roller or
doing things that don’t get done. And so
this measure of time governs my life each day and time accelerates each
year. I have seen it all before as night
turns to day, summer turns to autumn then winter turns to spring. Another year.
What once lasted half my life and lasted for what seems forever now
lasts for just one fiftieth of my life and it flashes past so quickly that I savour the days when I can forget the seconds minutes and hours and live in the moment and if
I am covered in sweat and mud with the big hunk of fire burning the back of my
neck while I hurtle across horizons what more could I want?
So, we are off, and once we have circled the Dalemain estate,
then it’s through busy Pooley Bridge, up and above and along Ullswater then down to
Howtown Bobbin Mill, a lively checkpoint, always a hive of activity.
Sadly no marker pen motivational nuggets on cardboard placards
this year leaving HTBM and it’s a harder push up long hot Fusedale. And this year those micro sized fudge pieces in the goody bag from Howtown Bobbin Mill pushed me up Fusedale so well that I was tempted to turn round when I got to the top of Fusedale to go back for more.I love this splendid climb and with its
amazing views it is simply spectacular.
Up and over across the top over Wether Hill along the bouncy boggty top and then down from High Kop to Low Kop, down to Haweswater, where it is a lonely furrow to plough along the long stoney path to Mardale Head, some toe banging and tripping but I am
practised in stopping myself to near perfection, I can avert a fall and right
myself and do so many times.
I see Steve (Mad Dog Dixon) in his 70th or so
mile of the L100 as I approach Mardale Head checkpoint, and spare him a minute
or so of my timeless run to see how he is, take a photo of
him so he can see how he is for himself later, and I move on. At the
checkpoint I enjoy some soup and say hello to Steve Linda and Nick, and leap
onward heading for Gatesgarth Pass, down Longsleddale to Sadgill with amazing views. I run out of the Mardale Head checkpoint feeling refreshed
and invigorated but after a few paces the incline checks my pace and slows my
run to a long slow climb up. While I am having
a fantastic day out, it is hot and the path is stony.
At Kentmere village hall, the pasta and the smoothies are a welcome treat, the man next to me
was enjoying the experience as a Christmas present from his sister, lucky man,
nice sister.
From Kentmere to Troutbeck to Ambleside to Chapel Stile, onward I head greeted by the mighty Langdale Pikes lit up by a blazing sunset, I have run throughout
the day without knowing what time it is.
What matters is getting as far as I can before day turns to night and daylight to darkness and now I am almost there.
Headtorch on
as I climb to Blea Tarn then switched off as the dark is nicer. Now and then some headtorches appear ahead like
beacons, I follow the heather line to the road, to the self-clip checkpoint and
then I run along the road in the dark to the turn to the rocky path to Tilberthwaite.
Last orders at Tilberthwaite rings in the close of the day
it’s my last chance to sup, I climb the stairway to heaven which gets easier
each year and move silently in the dark across the paths on the moors, cross the beck at
the tree and move on to the top, then it’s down to the end picking my way
through the stones then a jog along the track, the road and I am home.
12h 45 minutes, a minute slower than last year or an extra
minute of joy.
1st male Jayson Cavill 8h 4m 24s
1st female Sally Fawcett 8h 43m 43s
215 Sarah Smith 12h 45m 57s
615 started
585 finished
No comments:
Post a Comment