Adventure Racing Blog Part 2 - First Snow

Super keen after my first adventure race down in the Shropshire hills, I was itching for another. 4 weeks since all the decisions, I felt a lot more prepared this time, but was still a frantic mess trying to find all my kit the night before though. I checked the forecast, it wasn't looking great and it was right as I arrived for registration in heavy rain, a bit of a change to the blue skies and sunshine of Shropshire.

It was raining as I set off, and I ran quickly, feeling strong after another 4 weeks of training under my belt. I seemed to go the opposite way to everybody else, I didn't see anyone for what seemed like ages, and as I headed up onto the top of the moor the weather deteriorated. The rain had turned the sleet and the wind was driving it into my face, stinging my cheek as I tried to block it holding my map to my face.

I cut off the footpath, following a bearing across the featureless moor. Bog, long grass and babies head, hard tuffs of grass, made it difficult to follow a direct path to my next check point.

The run had gone well, after finding a tricky last checkpoint in the depths of the quarry. So back to transition, I was determined to be quicker than the one at the last race. Pulled off the sodden hat and had to use my teeth to pull off my gloves followed by a real struggle just to undo my shoe laces. I was glad my cycling shoes were velcro. Cooling down rapidly, I needed to get going on my bike soon, so put on another layer and continued.

The beginning of the bike stage, involved the awesome trails of Lee quarry, which I had ridden once before and remembered being really flowy and fast. However today, they seemed exactly the opposite, a real challenge, constantly changing gears, trying to keep stretching the fingers to get the blood flowing, in an attempt to keep them warm. I was fighting a losing battle.

Climbing out of the shelter of the quarry onto the link trail over to Cragg quarry, where there were a further two checkpoints, the wind hit me hard, sideways to me making any progress difficult. Slowly climbing up the hill, I diverted to incorporate another checkpoint into my route, across a boggy moor to the quarry.

The boggy moor seemed to go going, not normally a major bridleway, this trail had become a mud fest of ditches and puddles. I was 3 hours in by this point, but really cold, I kept shivering, but had to keep moving to keep the blood flowing. My hands were hardly functioning, my thin bike gloves soaked, I couldn't feel my thumbs anymore, changing gear was a nightmare, I had to use my whole palm, I could no longer apply enough pressure through my thumbs. 

Cragg quarry seemed to go on forever, the trails looping back on each other, but I came across the first checkpoint on the trails. Two guys were there, having a breather, one stuffing a handwarmer into his glove. I wanted some handwarmers so much at that moment in time.  I remember saying to them, that it was colder than standing on a belay on Ben Nevis in winter. I remember thinking that if I got a puncture, that was it, I was giving up. I was talking to myself, telling myself to keep going, keep pedaling, I can do it!

I stuck it out, back to finish in 4 hours 46 mins. Been a long time since I've been that cold, however after a quick change, tea and cheesy chips from Rach sorted me right out. Don't think I'm going to make it down to Devon for the next one, so bring on February. Sure there'll be a few cold belays on the Ben before then, they will be a doddle now.