June, June, June, it’s bloody June again!
You can’t teach an old dog new tricks, yet again I have done my best to see that the month of June will be the end of me but hey-ho it gives Dorina & the Cafe gang a break from me & one of my attempts to put an end to me is in a very good cause. So here’s the schedule, I can blame no one except Myself:-
Saturday 3rd June – Welsh 1,000 Metre Peaks Race (Long Fell Class) – 20 Miles, 8,000′ of ascent, for those not in the know, it starts on the North Wales Coast & finishes on top of Snowdon after already climbing four other 1,000 metre peaks. Approximate time 6 Hours.
Saturday 10th June – Keswick Trail Race – 16 Miles, I can’t even be bothered to remember how much ascent & usually run with a hangover, thanks Fraser. Approximate time 2 Hours 30 Minutes.
Saturday 17th June – Coed y Brenin Marathon – 26 Miles, over 4,000′ of ascent, here I had the option of the Half Marathon but was unable to equate this as being more sensible in the light of what follows the next weekend. To compound this failing Matt Ward has offered me the option of downgrading to the Half but my pride won’t let me change. To put the route into context my pb for this course is more than half an hour slower than for the Snowdon Marathon. Approximate time 4 Hours 30 Minutes if I do what I say & use it as training rather than a race but those as ever could be famous last words.
Saturday 24th June – Reach Out for Nepal Charity Run – Here it gets serious – 84 Miles, over 30,000′ of ascent as I attempt to ascend & more worryingly descend the height of Everest in 24 Hours by going up & down Moel Siabod 13 times. The sponsor form is on the Cafe counter, details of the Why’s & Wherefore’s are on the Nepal page of our Web site, please donate if you can. The one good thing is I know I am going to have some great people to cheer me on & to motivate me through the pain.
Now if all that goes to plan it will be a matter of luck rather than judgement but I have done some prep over the last week or so, quick summary, 3 highlights:-
Last Wednesday – recce of the first half of the 1,000’s including a jog back to the cafe in heatwave. 17 Miles.
Last Thursday – Highlight 1 – recce of the second half of the 1,000’s, this saw Dorina dropping me off in the Ogwen valley & then her parking at PyG as we raced each other to Snowdon’s summit. I lost by 30 minutes (no excuses but 2 more summits…) but I did reward her waiting for me (& buying me a drink) by leaving her on the subsequent descent & lying down on the grass afterwards rather than moving the car to pick her up. This of course was justified because it allowed her to compare her ascent & descent times, think she understood & I have the bruises to prove it. Great but hot Mountain afternoon. 12 Miles.
Last Friday – Judy dropped me at Trefriw & I ran back over to the Cafe, descending into Capel was like entering a furnace. 7 Miles.
Last Saturday – Highlight 2 – After a busy day in the Cafe I escaped for an early evening run on a loop to Swallow Falls (Cafe Walk No. 9). Feeling unexpectedly good I pushed the pedal, found more gas & hit a training pb, what a pleasant surprise. 8 Miles.
Bank Holiday Monday – Highlight 3 – After an insanely busy weekend for the cafe (thank you to all who chose to visit us) I had no choice but to un-wind with a gentle run to Betws & back. Things were going sensibly well when just before entering Betws via the back road who should be running the other way but Phil (fast at everything, Phil). We stopped (including our watches) compared notes & then he issued those ‘un-wanted’ words, ‘I’ll turn round & run with you Paul’. He floated, I plodded, oh my god I’m going to be running back up the A.5 hill to Capel at his pace & not a casual jog. Phil did his best to distract me from my pain by engaging me in conversation as I gasped replies into his back before we said our goodbye’s at the Ugly House. In truth it was a lovely way to end a hard few days. 10 Miles.
Wednesday – Recce of Moel Siabod at ‘Reach Out for Nepal’ pace, I was aiming at 1 Hour 40 Minutes & got back in 1 Hour 37 Minutes, job well done, I at least now know the pace for the big day feels O.K. 6.5 Miles.
Amongst all of this I am doing core exercises under the guidance of Andy Smith of North Wales Spine Clinic & feel they are doing a lot of good, so you see there has been prep there maybe a little common sense among the bucket load of madness.
None of this waffle has been for Kean’s benefit.
Hope you have been enjoying Snowdonia & all it has to offer too.
