I see I haven't blogged in well over a month. I could pretend it was because I have been busy working then busy trying to get some running done, (both true) but the main problem causing the log jam has been the Carnethy 5 report which I just can't be arsed doing. It is a sprawling ugly beast and I mostly can't be bothered with it. (The race and the blog.) But since I have been attending this race every year since 2001 I feel obliged to continue. So let's do it.
several Porties turned up
In the early days I liked this event and was doing enough hills (we spent all our weekends in the Pentlands) to do a decent job of it. It can be shite weather, always being held in February, but slowly it went from love to hate. I only do it nowadays because of the track record having done it every year. And this year I was in the worst shape of my life for it. Just couldn't be bothered. I had lost a lot of love of running and doing hills and just haven't been out. I'd get home from a day's work and it would be dark and drizzly. I couldn't find the motivation to get out. So didn't. Most weeks this year I have just been running at the weekends with Mary. No Weds night at club and no Thurs night wintervals. I knew this would show when it came to the C5 and wasn't really bothered. First time I ran the event back in 2001 I did 72 mins my worst time of the 19 run so far. That was the bench mark. As race day approached the forecast made it clear I'd be way slower than that. The ground was sodden after a shitty winter and there was a named storm approaching. It was touch and go whether the event was cancelled. Often REALLY bad weather makes for more of an adventure and this was certainly the case this year.
kit check and bus queue
sodden underfoot
checking out the water obstacles in first 1/4 mile
lovely warm snow melt to run through
unconvinced
What am I doing here? Why do I do this shit?
happy campers on the start line
In my notes it says these 2 photos were taken by Dobson. Not sure who that is but thanks. Is that Angela Mudge just ahead of me? I would have spent the rest of the race getting considerably further behind her. I actually did a decent start to the race, having carefully planned an efficient line through the swamp. I tried not to spend myself in the first 10 mins but I had little to call upon as I hadn't really been out much at all, with virtually no hill training. I knew I was in for a gubbing. It was a long painful drag up the first long hill. I was 4 or more mins adrift at the top and trying not to care too much.
Photo Ruth or Paul Crewe
harder job for the marshals than the runners this year
I took the waterproof camera as the forecast was for rain and wind. It wouldn't always take a photo when asked and was more or less operating independently from me. Which made for some interesting results. The conditions were so hideous it became quite an adventure and I almost started to enjoy the non up hill bits. The wind was really strong and threatened to blow you off your feet. I tried to thank or give a thumbs up to all the marshals. There were loads of them out cheering us on. The icy and rain was shot into our faces at the speed of flung gravel and was quite painful.
hail
I think the flash might have gone off catching the conditions well
This was a particularly bad spot for wind as was the tops of the Kips
over my shoulder on West Kip
me struggling to keep my footing at the back
taking a photo of Peter MacDonald who took a load
of really fab photos that captured the day perfectly incl. these 3
Those towards the back fighting the wind.
It was really a howling gale at this point.
Between West Kip and the Howe is about the only bit of decent running on the course. (It is a terrible course and nobody in their right mind would ever choose to go for a run in the Pentlands round this route. It is a complete mystery why anyone ever signs up for this race, and whoever set this route is a complete numpty. Back in the day there used to be a bit more scree descending, but these days that is frowned upon making even the downhills awful - through ankle breaking heather. Nevertheless nobody seems to notice and we all line up for this slog every Feb, and off we go...)
I enjoyed this bit even more for bumping into Olly. He is back running and we ran together down to the Howe. I first became aware of Olly because we'd be neck and neck at the C5 back in the day, and I'd see his ugly mug in photos of me. And after his recent brush with the Grim Reaper and subsequent return to running health it was an absolute pleasure to run down to the Howe chatting about this and that like we were just out for a social. As soon as the climb up the last hill began in earnest he disappeared off and I see he finished 20 secs ahead of me, the bastard. What can I say? An honour and privilege! This, the 50th running of it, was his last year as organiser. What a man! Actually does that mean he is to blame? Possibly. Now he is no longer the man in charge I can report he doesn't actually enjoy the C5 much more than I do. In fact after the storm damaged everyone's times quite a few people came up to me afterwards and admitted I wasn't alone in appreciating this was an awful event. I have no idea why it took them till now to realise. It was a particularly soggy and slow event this year with only the top 18 going under the hour and none of them women.
A small compensation was the partially cross wind helped slightly to blow us up the last climb. It was long and gruelling and I occasionally looked at my watch to see I was already slower than my previous worst and I hadn't even summited the last climb. Holy shit! New levels of bad. I managed to get down the hill safely - it certainly wasn't worth risking injury going hell for leather. Though some thought they'd do just that, barging through like they had a shot at winning. That ship sailed half and hour ago mate.
This was Laura's first C5
and she finished 14secs ahead of me
glad to be done
More photos by Dobson.
I crossed the swamp without falling in and ran up the finishing hill. Just pleased to have ticked off another year. Number 20 in the bag. I had done a bad job of it: 80mins! A worst ever by 8 minutes. But pleased to have survived without injury. I knew I needed to get sorted and back to the school to avoid hypothermia, so wasted no time running back to the bus stop and getting back to the school. Couldn't quite believe there was only a cold shower available but since I was naked and in the showers I did my best to wash the mud off my legs and jump about cursing, dancing in and out the freezing water. Fucking big points off whoever organised that. Not even mildly amusing. And I was far from last to the showers.
On the other hand the food was much better than usual. Usual is a school dinner that wouldn't much appeal. (Traditionally chicken pie or veggie lasagna.) Unless you had just stood freezing in a field for an hour then run over some hills in atrocious weather, in which case everyone really enjoys it. Nobody would complain about school dinners if they handed them out at Auschwitz-Birkenau. It's all just context. And not being a fussy eater I quite enjoy the de-briefing and scran in Beeslack School. (Who was it recently said they went to Beeslack School? Donald?) With bread and marg. And a cuppa tea. But this year they did some home cooking with 2 options being veggie (hot) or veggie (mild). It was even better than concentration camp quality despite the veg looking suspiciously like it came out tins or frozen bags. Anyway I enjoyed it. And how they manage to do food and a bus ride to the start and back for under £20 is impressive.
So it's not all bad. Just the running bit. That is bad. And the weather bit. That was hilariously bad. The people are nice. And when you've just done it, you don't have to do it for another whole year. That is good. That is fucking great.
