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Bob Graham Round
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Hi peeps
I'm currently training from the FLM and hoping for a 4hr time, so am quite fit. So after that i'm looking for a new challenge and as i love mountians and the lake district i thought eh BGR would be a good plan - for next summer (2005). The only problem is i'm going to Mexico for 3 months from July - October ish and haven't got time to run nearly as much as i would if i were at home.
Will I be able to manage the BGR on training from late October to June? Is June the best time to do it?
Or am i better off leaving it till 2006?
Any BGR advice would be vey welcome!
Ta!
I'm currently training from the FLM and hoping for a 4hr time, so am quite fit. So after that i'm looking for a new challenge and as i love mountians and the lake district i thought eh BGR would be a good plan - for next summer (2005). The only problem is i'm going to Mexico for 3 months from July - October ish and haven't got time to run nearly as much as i would if i were at home.
Will I be able to manage the BGR on training from late October to June? Is June the best time to do it?
Or am i better off leaving it till 2006?
Any BGR advice would be vey welcome!
Ta!
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Comments
Friends of mine that have done recent BGs can do London in about 3.30 or less, so I would put 4hrs on the slightly slow side - but if you can keep that up for 24hrs you'll be fine!
Where abouts do you live? It's difficult to prepare for this type of event without the support of experienced people - half the battle is arranging the logistics of pacers/food/road support/accommodation/apres BG beer....
A four hour marathon time (slighty sub 4) would, if you have the stamina, be good enough to complete the BGR in 24 hours, you just need to do the hill training, lots of hillwalking is great for time on your feet.
I would also suggest cycling, MTB preferably, (1-3 hours) as part of your training plan, to toughen the quads etc.
I could go on but if you are well prepared as Macc Lad opints out their is no real reason why you cannot achieve the BGR.
Good luck.
It all sound logical. I live near the Peak so can technically get lots of off road stuff done adn am quite happy to spend time in the Lakes. I'm sure if i wasn't going away for three months i'd be fine its just when i come back i'll have to start all over again. But when i do i'll make sure i run up (and down) lots of hills!
I presume running one a bit of it for pracitce would be a good plan.
I do all my running on my own at the mo' and none of my friends are runners (fell or otherwise), any suggestions as to a good fell running club to join in the Nottinghamshire/Derbyshire area?
I forgot to say - check out the website I maintain for the macclesfield harriers - you'll find some schedules on there for the BG so you can get an idea of the pace you need to go at. See http://www.macclesfield-harriers.co.uk/mh/fell/bobGraham.html
Search for bob graham round in google and you'll get more info too.
We tend to do a clockwise attempt starting around 6pm - convenient to finish the following evening for the pub!
As far as clubs go, you are the other side of the peak from me, so I can't really recommend any unless you can get as far as buxton/sheffield (dark peak)/staffordshire moorlands who I know are active on the fells.
I live in the High Peak, but most of what I call my "first" fell running career was spent in the Lakes. It took me three attempts over 2 years to do a BGR, so I'd say be prepared to fail at least once, and use it as a learning experience.
What you won't find in the Peak District is anything that comes near the scale of the Lakeland Mountains. So I'd advise a number of visits so that you can get a feel for them - they are completely different animals. The closest you'll probably get is Kinder, and the second half of the Edale Skyline (but even thats a bit tame in Lakeland terms since they paved part of it)
As to clubs - I'd recommend Dark Peak, they have a good number of BGR's to their name, and a lot of them are still active competitively in the Lakes - so they will be able to give up to date info. Alternatively you could try Buxton, Matlock, or Totley (Sheffield).
Also join the Fell Runners Association. Its £12 per year. The magazine often has quite a lot of BGR information in it.
I wish you luck, its a great feeling when you complete it.......
We recced most of the route over a three-day weekend but knew a lot of it already which helped.
You will almost certainly need some good pacers unless you're going solo (but I would strongly advise against that without a good few years' experience in the hills).
As for timing, you ideally want dry weather and a clear night with a reasonable moon. Obviously maximising daylight is important but more night with a full moon is (IMHO) better than a shorter, dark night. (One of our chaps didn't even use a torch on the night legs.)
We went for a midnight (12am Sat) start so that we could bump it up to 12 hours if weather dictated without losing our pacers. The biggest downside was not getting enough sleep the day before and being VERY sleepy towards the end.
We were lucky with weather (it broke on the final leg with lightning as we crested Skiddaw!) and got three of us round on our first attempt but that's unusual.
There is some stuff from our round at www.LeanMeanRunnerBean.me.uk/bgr, if you're interested.
It is definitely worth all the pain ... !
I'm going to get some serious hill in when i come back from Mexico. But i'll be starting from nothing then (3 months of no running arrrrgggggghhhhhhh)
it sound good, and pain is only temporary.
One other Question - are walshes best? I've noticed other brands have started to do fell running type trainers and it strikes me that walshes don't have a lot of padding and i'm REALLY heavy footed.
I think the Inov8s are more like regular trainers than traditional studs so would be worth a look. But bear in mind that the minimal midsole on studs has a reason - low foot plant gives more stability so fewer turned ankles.
I tend to use Montrails (trail shoes) for walking/jogging in the hills and might use them for a BGR now. One of the chaps I did my round with even went the whole way in road flats (he was lucky it was dry!).
A classic case of YMMV!
Shoes to try - recommended - Inov8 Mudroc, Adidas Swoop, NB fell dancer, even some of the trail shoes that are on the go can be good, the Saucony Jazz 6000 is a good compromise as well.
Will take a look at the ones your suggested - never one to pass up an opportunity to spend money on trainers!
But is it really for over 50s only - or did i miss something?
Good Luck with the training and keep us up to date with your progress.
Generally I find the performance of walshes the best, but mine keep falling apart. I'm looking for a shoe that the sole doesn't fall off of.
The mudrocs have a more shaped sole compared to the flatter sole of the walshes. I've found that on muddy/slippy ground this doesn't quite grip as much as the walshes. I think this is down to less of the sole being in contact, but might be due to the different stud size/shapes.
I also feel the sole is less grippy on wet rock than the walshes.
The mudrocs seem quite responsive though and look better made than the walshes. Although people say they look more like trail shoes, I wouldn't put them in that category, the sole is still low profile.
In terms of feel, I'd put the mudrocs between the stiffer walshes and the slipper like swoops.
Inov8 do make a range of shoes now and do have trail shoes in the range.
On the mud collecting front, I wouldn't worry about that - it depends more on the type of ground you are running on rather than the shoe. I run around my parent's house in Dorset and collect 3 lbs of mud on each foot. Running in the peak district or the lakes, the mud doesn't stick.