Ladybower 50

Haa anyone done this before? Is it ok for a first 50 miler? I have done The Wall over 2 days but this would be my first attempt at a 50. Any advice greatly appreciated.

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Comments

  • Not had chance to do it yet as always clash's with stuff on but had my eye in it for a while. From everything I've heard about the race and also the area it's at would say just make sure you think through your food for the race and enjoy it. The weather around there might be a heatwave or might be sh*te so plan for both. 

    The organiser's sometimes comes on the threads and always seemed a good egg with luck he might spot the thread ans say hello. image

  • carterusmcarterusm ✭✭✭

    Claire - I've never run the event but I do some training runs up there. For the 50 you will be doing 3 laps of Ladybower, Derwent and Howden. It's fairly flat and that's why I chose it as my introduction to ultra running. My only concern with this is which footwear I would use; part of the circuit is road, part trail but I found a 2 mile section of the trail really hard on my feet. It might be with a recce as I know they have training runs up there if you look on their website 

  • Less than eight weeks to go, and now I've done Lakeland 50 and my ankle is feeling better I can start to look forward to this!

    carterusm (or anyone else): what's the off-road underfoot surface like, and how much is road, how much off-road?

  • S3200HS3200H ✭✭✭

    Hi Debra, One lap is 15miles out of that, about 8miles is tarmac.  The off-road section are good wide paths quite firm and nice to run on, the 2 mile trail section is firm underfoot and the only place you need to watch your foot placement as there are a few rocks, 

    If there has been a lot of rain there are a few places on the off-road section that get very muddy, you will have about 4/5 gate to go through 

    on the tarmac section you have 2 gates but can choose between using the gates or going over the cattle grid.  

    It is quite undulating and a couple of the hills will be tough on the 2nd/3rd lap, none of the hills are that long so you can recover.  

    This will be my first Ultra so have gone for the 35mile

    It is a beautiful place to run, and I hope you enjoy it

  • I guess it all depends what sort of profile you are used to running as to whether you would call it flat or undulating ! Here is a training run I did last year, I ran it in the clockwise direction but I believe the race itself is run anti-clockwise - http://app.strava.com/activities/34552259 

  • Hi S3200H, carterusm, thanks for that - it's really useful. Definitely not flat - looks like enough incline and decline that it's not going to be boringly flat (I do prefer some variety), but not steep enough to need to walk the inclines? Or possibly if I get tired and want the excuse - carteurusm's profile does indicate some 10% inclines...

    One thing's for sure - NOTHING like Lakeland 50 a week ago...

    Must not stay up too late at my godson's wedding on the Saturday!

     

  • SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.....

    panic 11 days to go how is everyone?any last minute diet tips, or advice / suggestions image 

  • Yes... don't try to make up any lost training between now and then; don't wear anything you've not worn before, on the day... and have fun!

  • you make it sound easy image

  • I did the 15mile circuit a few weeks ago. There's 1000ft of ascent. the path follows the reservoirs up past three dams. That should be a clueimage

    Ladybower 50 series thread.

  • Hi All really looking forward to this, hope everyone has a good run 

    cheers Steve

  • TimR

    i've done one lap 3 times, i can still Jonathan decide if I think it's flat or not, I think yowe would struggle to find a flatter 50m run. 

    My Garmin says around 350m per lap as you say, but each lap finishes with a nice long sweep downhill followed by a small bump up to the start image it always feels like you are getting the uphill bits out the way quite early in each lap to me image

  • Yes. You're right. It's uphill for 8 miles then downhill for 8 miles, but the uphill isn't constant.

    The only thing that struck me was the scenery. You're on a well made tarmac/cycle track in a valley so lake on your right and woods on your left for pretty much the whole way.

    I did run very early and there was no one about so I saw a lot of wildlife. 

  • Well, I wanted a relatively easy one to finish the yearimage; sounds like it's a lot flatter than any of the others I've done this year (diverted TT50, SDW50, NDW50, Lakeland 50) and surely minimal navigation (there doesseem to be one point where it indicates a path junction where we keep right not left - I can only presume the left path goes down to the reservoir?). Just hope everything goes according to plan and that I'm not too tired after my godson's wedding the day before and an early strart to reach Ladybower on time.

    (Noting that TT50 should have been pretty flat, along the Thames, but the flood-required diversions definitely took us over a lot more undulation).

  • Yes, in the first 5m lap you go left, and back to the start, then for the next 3 laps go right. The only other point is at the far end of the course it looks like you could just carry on to the middle of nowhere, but you have to turn a sharp left back on yourself down to a bridge, get those two correct and you will be fine. 

  • image Tarmac track, you say? I was thinking this would be one for trail shoes (I like my trail shoes, any excuse) but if it's mostly Tarmac I guess not?

  • Yeah, there is hardly any real track, there is a stony section around the top, i've run one lap 3 times always just done it in my normal trainers.

  • I'm going for road shoes as those sections are by far the longest. The trail path does have quite a few stones and in my last 1 1/2 lap reccy my feet did feel it in road shoes but I just think the benefit on the long section outweighs that

    And Tim R - lake on the left if you want to go with the flow..!

  • thats really good to know! I am only doing the 20 mile option but was worrying that my trail shoes havent had much of an outing in recent races. will wear my snazzy pink road trainers instead!

  • Ohh I have some snazzy pinky red Asics image we might clash. image actually.  I'm going to start with my old Asics 2170s their last outing before retirement, but im totally paranoid so bringing another pair of trainers as backups. Along with a change of running gear image hehe.

  • DW 4 wrote (see)

    I'm going for road shoes as those sections are by far the longest. The trail path does have quite a few stones and in my last 1 1/2 lap reccy my feet did feel it in road shoes but I just think the benefit on the long section outweighs that

    And Tim R - lake on the left if you want to go with the flow..!

    Ha. Yes. I realise that now. I'm not entered (this year!?) I was just in the area and saw the reservoirs on the map and thought they'd be good training. I'm doing New Forest Marathon next week. Then I saw the two threads and found out there's a race!

    There's always next year right? Anticlockwise then? I'll try to remember thatimage

  • I'm taking this far to seriously, work colleagues ask me if I wanted to go out and get pissed on the 20th and I said no. I am having no alcohol till after ladybower, and need to eat properly / behave on the Friday / Saturday.

    This is soooo not me.

  • I fancy New Forest for next year - looks beautiful. 

    That is disciplined bt.! I'm allowing a few glasses of wine on the Friday but definitely a sober Saturday

  • Well I run minimalist and my road shoes have no more padding than my trail shoes, so I'll probably go with the VB Neo Trail - might bring the ordinary Neos along so I have them as an option. Don't want to wear the Inov8 Trailroc 235s - not stony enough to warrant them and I don't want to wear them out on tarmac.

  • im going to be wearing cycling shoes image

    - i got High Peak 40 the day before but as its so close ill have a little jolly round ladybower while im in the area. did this race last year and its a great little race. if i got the legs for it i will be pacing a mate on the last lap if hes in contention for winning the 50 

  • booktrunk wrote (see)

    I'm taking this far to seriously, work colleagues ask me if I wanted to go out and get pissed on the 20th and I said no. I am having no alcohol till after ladybower, and need to eat properly / behave on the Friday / Saturday.

    This is soooo not me.

    nothing wrong with a bit of alcohol, had a pint or two the night before the Outlaw triathlon and didnt do too bad, image 

  • Ahhhhh. How did I miss this thread. Gutted.

    I am the organiser of the run. We are all ready to go. I hope you like the t-shirts this year.

    The ground up there is pretty solid even after the rain. It does turn nippy late on so please bear that in mind.

    See you in the valley

    SO EXCITED !!!!

  • booktrunk wrote (see)

    Yes, in the first 5m lap you go left, and back to the start, then for the next 3 laps go right. The only other point is at the far end of the course it looks like you could just carry on to the middle of nowhere, but you have to turn a sharp left back on yourself down to a bridge, get those two correct and you will be fine. 

    There will be signage !!!!!! and people in yellow jackets on the first bend

    OH I AM SO EXCITED. REALLY!!!!!!!!

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