Author Archives for Pete
June 23, 2020 9:59 pm
Published by Pete
“The earth teaches us more about ourselves than all the books in the world, because it is resistant to us. Self-discovery comes when man measures himself against an obstacle.” -Antoine de Saint-Exupéry One of the things I love most about fell and trail running is the fact that we’re running against challenges bigger than ourselves. On the road there’s a constant drive to make every second count, to push the pace and compare against past efforts and goals. In the hills, you never run the same run twice. Terrain changes with the seasons, weather can be a benevolent ally or a hostile adversary, and an easy ascent on fresh legs can be an Everest on tired ones. A couple of weeks ago I had a wonderful first day back in the hills since lockdown. Twenty miles, pinging along the border ridge from Cheviot to Windy Gyle, back over Auchope Cairn... View Article
May 15, 2020 9:55 pm
Published by Pete
Sometimes, when I tell someone I’m worried about my fitness, they get this look as though I’m being sarcastic. There’s a pregnant pause while they wait for me to either take it back or deliver a punchline. It can be hard to understand that someone can be doing long runs every week and also feel like they’re ready for the knacker’s yard. There’s a thought that because you’re a runner you must feel fit, whatever that means, or an implication that it’s humble bragging if you have a complaint about fitness. But here’s the thing. For all of us fitness is relative to where we are and how we’re performing. Our assessment of ourself may be exaggerated in one way or the other, like with anything in life, but that doesn’t mean our frustrations or concerns aren’t genuine. As a classic introvert, I sometimes seize on small things and dwell on them... View Article
May 2, 2020 9:52 pm
Published by Pete
April 2020. The month started with Kilian Jornet announcing his retirement from trail running to focus on fishing. I’d be more than happy to step up and take his place, but to quote the Easter story, ‘the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak’. I take about twice as long to get up a hill! Luckily for the running world it was an April fool, during a week otherwise devoid of much to laugh at. The whole of April has been lockdown, which has been a very different experience for everyone. Something I’m learning this month is not to apologise or feel guilt for finding good things at the moment. It’s easy when there’s so much pain in the world to feel bad over things that bring us joy. Lockdown has been good for me in many ways. The rhythm of life feels much more sustainable. I work, I exercise,... View Article
April 27, 2020 9:47 pm
Published by Pete
One of the things I miss most about lockdown is getting out onto trails and mountains. As an introvert I’m wired pretty well to cope with the lack of socialising but lack of mountains? That’s cruel and unusual punishment. I crave the sense of wonder found driving along winding roads, carved like glaciers through the majesty of tree lined slopes. The first sight of Sharp Edge, hovering over the shoulder of Blencathra on the drive to Keswick. The anticipation you get looking at the way the arête sweeps upwards, beckoning you to attempt it. I miss the first few hurried paces up a fell, before settling into a slower and more sustainable rhythm. The moment you spot the cairn and surge towards it with a sense of achievement. The feeling when the rays of the sun break through the cloud to bathe some corner of a valley in their light.... View Article
April 4, 2020 9:44 pm
Published by Pete
It seems a cliche to say we live in unprecedented times, but it’s also true. Much of the world is now on some form of lockdown, with a variety of rules and restrictions. There are many things more important than running and it’s right that our activities are restricted. It’s moving to see society agree to sacrifice things we love for the greater good. But it’s also understandable for many of us to miss racing, it’s a big part of our lives. For city dwellers as well – I really miss the hills and the trails and the fells. With all races cancelled it can feel like training lacks purpose and definition. Step up the IRunFar #OperationInspiration virtual race. It’s a great way to exercise and be part of something bigger while sticking to the rules in each country. What’s better than that is that all proceeds go to the WHO COVID-19... View Article
February 24, 2020 9:41 pm
Published by Pete
Clarty. There’s no better word to describe the conditions at Saturday’s Saucony National Cross Country Championships. It was right clarty. Back to back winter storms had seen fit to empty the heavens, leaving the course a mess of mud and sludge. Or, as I like to think of it, perfect cross country conditions. This year’s championships were at Wollaton Hall in Nottingham, used as Wayne Manor in The Dark Knight Rises. An Elizabethan Country House surrounded by 500 acres of park land, it made a fantastic venue for racing. A good friend from the club had told me that I had to experience the nationals, and he was spot on. The atmosphere is great with thousands of runners coming from across the country. Tents spring up in club colours, with flags fluttering outside to show their crests. There are ten races across the day, ranging from under thirteens to seniors.... View Article
January 31, 2020 9:39 pm
Published by Pete
As new year’s running goals go, this year’s were fairly standard. Go further, higher, faster. It’s the same every year. I do realise that there’ll come a time when that’s no longer possible, I just refuse to accept that time is now. January, then, is when the rubber hits the road. And the trail. And any other surface that looks like it may be runnable. It’s a month of poring over race listings and trying to get the key dates in the diary firmed up. The month started with the Resolution Run on Newcastle Town Moor. It’s a multi-terrain 9km with a few hills that are steep enough to make you groan but not so lengthy as to slow you to a walk. I set off quick only to realise I didn’t have it in the lungs or the legs to keep up the pace. The hills were my only... View Article
December 18, 2019 9:35 pm
Published by Pete
I always said no to Cross Country. Marathon training was my usual excuse. Saturday is long run day, but really it was the memory of how crap it was at school running along the grassy cliff tops in the cold. This season though, I ran out of excuses. I’m not marathon training yet and my enjoyment of the fells made me think cross country might be worth a try. My first two outings have been in the Harrier League, and it turns out this cross country running lark is popular. Wrekenton proved to be a pretty dry and pleasant affair and then, as if to show how grim things can get, Aykley Heads was a mud bath of epic proportions. We’re talking like the fields of Agincourt kind of muddy. There are probably people still out there, crying for help under a foot or two of sludge. Aykley Heads was... View Article
December 4, 2019 9:24 pm
Published by Pete
They were definitely naked. Sin ropa. Starkers. I couldn’t say for certain whether they were doing yoga or tai-chi but it involved stretching. A surprising start to the morning, but apparently La Caleta is a hippy commune as well as a beach. I’d arrived at just the wrong moment. I was staying in the village of Maro, lured by the towering Pico del Cielo rising 1,508 metre above the white washed Andalusian houses. I could well have started at my apartment, but there’s a special attraction to going from sea to summit. Plus, where better to calibrate an altimeter than with your feet in the waves? So I headed the kilometre down to the beach in the morning sun. It was obvious I was out of place. I wasn’t the only one in clothes, but I suspect I was the only one who didn’t live there and the residents looked... View Article
October 14, 2019 9:21 pm
Published by Pete
I’ve often wondered what happens if it’s race day and your body just doesn’t turn up; today, I found out. I left work on Tuesday morning ice cold and aching all over. Having spent two days in bed and one on the sofa, I decided I should return on Friday – not least to prove that I was well enough to run on Saturday. Several people told me this was a silly idea. “You’re not well,” they said, “have a rest day and recover.” I listened and understood that what they were saying was wise. So, needless to say I woke up on Saturday morning and drove to the Lakes for Ambleside AC’s brilliant Langdale Horseshoe. It’s an AL fell race, which means it’s pretty much the best kind, if by best you mean hilliest and longest. It’s known for being brutal underfoot and attracts a good crowd of fell runners. It’s... View Article
