Tying up loose ends (Running)

Monday 19 April 2010 02:59PM

Over the past two years I’ve completed an MSc course at the Centre for Alternative Technology near Machynlleth, mid-Wales. The surrounding area holds some lovely coast and mountains, but each module was so intense that I never managed more than a few runs around the nearby forests. That was until the eighth and final module, when I had a car with me and decided to run up nearby Cader Idris, one afternoon. This was a magical step away from the intensity of the course and a chance for my brain to re-conjeal from the mush it had become; it took me about seventy minutes, up and down, from Minffordd.

Always in search of challenges, and always more attracted to ones that fit neatly into packages (if I were a very good track runner, I’d much rather run a 4-minute mile than a 3.45 1500m…), my mind ticked over in the pub and by closing time I’d decided to go back the following day and try and do the same thing in under an hour.

Despite a mild hangover I felt I was running really well, climbing hard and aggressively, and descending nimbly, gingerly treading the line between too-fast and too-careful. I got back to the car in 1hr and 40 seconds. It seemed such a shame to finish the course without a nice neat time to remember for the nearby mountain.

So when I was invited back as a guest lecturer on last week’s MSc module I jumped at the chance, and packed my fell shoes. This time I had no car so had to hitch-hike to Minffordd. I didn’t feel nearly as good while running, really struggling on the way up, but I plugged away, figuring that at worst it would be a good training run for up-coming championship races. At the summit I was suprised to find myself two minutes ahead of last time, which goes to show your perception is not always a good guide to your performance. Although two minutes is a big difference, I knew it wasn’t a done deal since last time I had been descending so well, and because I’ve only been back running for a short while so don’t have the descending strength in my legs again yet.

I tried to stay on my toes, flow down the steep gullies and scree, and over the boulders past the lake, all the time not daring to look at my watch. This sort of descent is my favourite – so technical that for most of the way you can’t go that fast, so when it eases off you can really sprint. The final section of steep steps through the forest brought me at last to the 200m of flat track. I gave it all I had and arrived back at the kissing gate just under the hour in 59 minutes and 21 seconds. Result!

Now I’m just wondering how much faster I could have gone if I hadn’t had 4 pints the night before…