Today has seen a new combination of sports into a Multi-sport day. Starting with extreme porridge making (porridge cooked on top of the wood-burner) whilst watching TV in search of the Rat Race and Deerstalker on Country Tracks, the day has progresses relatively profitable. Logs chopped, tea drunk, hoovering, a visit by Spike (in person! eek) and some consequent website and blog blah, blah. All this was accomplished with a raging sore throat and head-cold.
The positive news is that our Tour de Helvellyn is attracting a lot of interest and promises to be an interesting day out for everyone. The Tour is intended as good winters's training run; it's not a formal race but an opportunity for a long day out on your feet in preparation for next year's adventures. Naturally the weather could be poor, but the route should be do-able in most conditions, and we do have a Plan B, if Sticks Pass is impassable. I only wish I was able to do it myself, instead of tied up with supporting.
On the personal performance side, I am just about re-covered from the pains of last week's Kielder Marathon. Having not run for weeks, and with just a handful of training runs and events this year it required a certain amount of determination to get to the finish. This race was a physical challenge in contrast to the mental challenge of Terrex. 4:28 is now a 'pw' for a marathon, so I have something to aim for next year. It also showed up how little running I have done in recent years. The course is a good one; undulating and always interesting, and with the winning time being 2:30 you can expect a sizeable chunk to be added to your normal road marathon time. As it was the inaugural event I trust Steve Cram has learnt a thing or two for 2011, with the biggest issue being drop the road race razzamatazz and mentality and get in tune with off-road running. Whether this was under UKA regs I don't know but I find it very offensive running through a sea of three-quarters full drinks bottles in such a remote and beautiful location. Especially, when they mainly toxic sports drinks from a sponsor. Ok, so they will all be picked up, but by whom and what what cost? Perhaps I should stopped being grumpy - No doubt the event will be over subscribed next year. I certainly be back, as I'm a regular visitor to Kielder with it's deserted trails and tranquility. I'll be back there very soon to help with the Kielder Duathlon, riding the trails and getting a training run in.
Joe
Saturday, 23 October 2010
Monday, 27 September 2010
Post Race Blues
To be perfectly honest, there has been no posts for a very long time, due to a very bad dose of 'Post Race Blues.'
There was nothing wrong with Terrex; brilliant route, interesting race, some great moments and a really big challenge, but strangely some massively BIG post race Blues! Hey-ho...
Moving on, since Terrex, I have enjoyed a great day out in The Lakeland Mountain Trail, and an interesting and rather busy weekend up in Scotland, including supporting AndyM in the C2C. This weekend just passed was even better - watching club mates and friends run at The Two Breweries Race - and enjoying the fine Broughton Ales from the race sponsor and host. The race actually finishes at the brewery loading bay, and the free beers fitted me better and were more tasty than my Terrex T-shirt.
Joe
There was nothing wrong with Terrex; brilliant route, interesting race, some great moments and a really big challenge, but strangely some massively BIG post race Blues! Hey-ho...
Moving on, since Terrex, I have enjoyed a great day out in The Lakeland Mountain Trail, and an interesting and rather busy weekend up in Scotland, including supporting AndyM in the C2C. This weekend just passed was even better - watching club mates and friends run at The Two Breweries Race - and enjoying the fine Broughton Ales from the race sponsor and host. The race actually finishes at the brewery loading bay, and the free beers fitted me better and were more tasty than my Terrex T-shirt.
Joe
Thursday, 12 August 2010
Busy, busy... Terrex To HeB2B Adventure
It's been a busy few weeks at NAV4 HQ, with lots to do after The HeB2B and preparation for the Terrex race coming up in a few weeks time. All things are going well; excellent feedback from B2B and lots of interest for next year, including some people wanting to know when entries will open!
Firstly, Terrex needs to be conquered. Our team has enjoyed some great training days, and I'm feeling well sussed for the race, especially given my past few months activity and the fact that we will be racing on home turf. Terrex has great potential to be an amazing race, and it will be interest to see what format and strategies are required. Some are assuming we are not paddling on the sea, which I hope is true, as sea paddling is a bit of a lottery given the sea and weather conditions, and to be blunt, is out of the scope of many racers. Furthermore, there is plenty of water to paddling here within Cumbria.
So, The 2011 HeB2B Adventure will go onto the back-burner for a short while, but before it does this is the outline so far:
The HeB2B will be in May next year; Monday 30th May - Friday 3rd June is the intended date. The journey will run from the island of Barra to The Butt of Lewis, hence the B2B. It is a five day 'stage' race, stopping overnight.
There will be opportunities for Solos, Pairs/Trios and Teams of Four. Solos will be offered logistical support in the form of a baggage van. Places will be very limited and only the really strong and competent will find the route achievable. Start training now, don't under estimate what is required to paddle in The Hebrides.
A Pairs category has been established for a few years, and the new Trio will continue. 'Three Friends in a Car' was the strap line and it worked this year. It is also the cheapest and easiest way to do 'The HeB2B'.
Teams of Four will also continue and require the full range of skills and talents that a Heb journery requires.
However... (Yep, there is a 'but' coming) .... there will be no kayaking in 2011. This is because we need to focus on getting the B2B established and up and running, in a run/bike/swim format. Sea kayaking is a high skill based discipline, and providing the relevant safety cover is very expensive (more than half of the income budget) hence we can not afford to do so until participant numbers reach a certain level. It is my intention to re-introduce Kayaking in 2012, so aim high and long term and start training, and get your certificate in readiness. Any ardent Kayakers who are currently jumping up and down are invited step forward at this point and help bring paddling back in 2012.
In terms of other stuff, we will be resourcing some good overnight venues, with on-site camping. We are also reviewing the length of each competition day in terms of time, and allowing you to enjoy some evening 'down-time'. Consequently, the route plan / logistics will be slightly easier than in past years, although just as much of a challenge.... and even more fun. A quality event is what we are aiming for, with a small friendly atmosphere. Total entrant places will be around 50 people.
Actively racing Monday - Friday gives participants Saturday and Sunday on each weekend to travel to and from the islands. All in all, we want you to enjoy your holiday just as much as your race.
Finally, no adventure like this can happy without YOU - either as a entrant or supporter. Talk to your friends, get it in your diary now. Hebridean Racing is the Original UK Multi-Sport Race. Don't miss out. Further details will follow on our www.nav4.co.uk website in due course.
That's it, more soon, once I've finished Terrex, Good luck to all those racing
Joe
Firstly, Terrex needs to be conquered. Our team has enjoyed some great training days, and I'm feeling well sussed for the race, especially given my past few months activity and the fact that we will be racing on home turf. Terrex has great potential to be an amazing race, and it will be interest to see what format and strategies are required. Some are assuming we are not paddling on the sea, which I hope is true, as sea paddling is a bit of a lottery given the sea and weather conditions, and to be blunt, is out of the scope of many racers. Furthermore, there is plenty of water to paddling here within Cumbria.
So, The 2011 HeB2B Adventure will go onto the back-burner for a short while, but before it does this is the outline so far:
The HeB2B will be in May next year; Monday 30th May - Friday 3rd June is the intended date. The journey will run from the island of Barra to The Butt of Lewis, hence the B2B. It is a five day 'stage' race, stopping overnight.
There will be opportunities for Solos, Pairs/Trios and Teams of Four. Solos will be offered logistical support in the form of a baggage van. Places will be very limited and only the really strong and competent will find the route achievable. Start training now, don't under estimate what is required to paddle in The Hebrides.
A Pairs category has been established for a few years, and the new Trio will continue. 'Three Friends in a Car' was the strap line and it worked this year. It is also the cheapest and easiest way to do 'The HeB2B'.
Teams of Four will also continue and require the full range of skills and talents that a Heb journery requires.
However... (Yep, there is a 'but' coming) .... there will be no kayaking in 2011. This is because we need to focus on getting the B2B established and up and running, in a run/bike/swim format. Sea kayaking is a high skill based discipline, and providing the relevant safety cover is very expensive (more than half of the income budget) hence we can not afford to do so until participant numbers reach a certain level. It is my intention to re-introduce Kayaking in 2012, so aim high and long term and start training, and get your certificate in readiness. Any ardent Kayakers who are currently jumping up and down are invited step forward at this point and help bring paddling back in 2012.
In terms of other stuff, we will be resourcing some good overnight venues, with on-site camping. We are also reviewing the length of each competition day in terms of time, and allowing you to enjoy some evening 'down-time'. Consequently, the route plan / logistics will be slightly easier than in past years, although just as much of a challenge.... and even more fun. A quality event is what we are aiming for, with a small friendly atmosphere. Total entrant places will be around 50 people.
Actively racing Monday - Friday gives participants Saturday and Sunday on each weekend to travel to and from the islands. All in all, we want you to enjoy your holiday just as much as your race.
Finally, no adventure like this can happy without YOU - either as a entrant or supporter. Talk to your friends, get it in your diary now. Hebridean Racing is the Original UK Multi-Sport Race. Don't miss out. Further details will follow on our www.nav4.co.uk website in due course.
That's it, more soon, once I've finished Terrex, Good luck to all those racing
Joe
Monday, 19 July 2010
HeB2B - What a Success - Part Two
Friday was to be the final day and predominatly featured a dash for The Butt of Lewis on road bikes, but not before some other 'fun and games'. Friday's first summit was the high point on West Lewis - Mealaisbhal - which at 574m and rising straight from the Atlantic, gives great views of St.Kilda, and back towards the high hills of Harris, and yesterday's routes. A rough MTB track gives access to a glen valley bisecting these hills and a route through to Loch Tamnabhaigh. The alternative was to road bike around the coastal road, but you truely are starting from sea level, so 574 metres feels like a lot more.
A second 'High Point' of the day was Callanish Standing Stones, and coffee at the visitor centre. Why? well you don't want to come here and miss out on what is the northern version of Stonehenge, which Wilko had raced past two years ago without noticing. Callanish is also situated on a penisula which juts out into Loch Rog An Ear and is where the kayakers had exited the water after a relatively calm paddle, and with the sun shining brightly.
From here, the northern reaches of Lewis are a vast rough wilderness and in previous year's I have biked and 'run' across sections of this. However, the much more sensible option is to blast up the main coastal road, a gentle undulating roller coaster, most usually with a tail wind. This 35 mile ride put big grins on all faces and I was very pleased to, more or less, greet everyone at The But as we finished within an hour or so of each other.
That's it. B2B over - it worked, just! All which remained was a night out in Stornoway at the new cury house for those on the early Saturday ferry, or an impromptu party at The Cross Inn, just south of The Butt, thanks to Emma and her Smart phone and parents.
Thank you to everyone who came and made it a success; there were some lessons learned, but the greatest is that we can all have fun and adventure without too much organisation. Less is definitely More, so what about next year? The weather's good in May, apparently.
Joe
A second 'High Point' of the day was Callanish Standing Stones, and coffee at the visitor centre. Why? well you don't want to come here and miss out on what is the northern version of Stonehenge, which Wilko had raced past two years ago without noticing. Callanish is also situated on a penisula which juts out into Loch Rog An Ear and is where the kayakers had exited the water after a relatively calm paddle, and with the sun shining brightly.
From here, the northern reaches of Lewis are a vast rough wilderness and in previous year's I have biked and 'run' across sections of this. However, the much more sensible option is to blast up the main coastal road, a gentle undulating roller coaster, most usually with a tail wind. This 35 mile ride put big grins on all faces and I was very pleased to, more or less, greet everyone at The But as we finished within an hour or so of each other.
That's it. B2B over - it worked, just! All which remained was a night out in Stornoway at the new cury house for those on the early Saturday ferry, or an impromptu party at The Cross Inn, just south of The Butt, thanks to Emma and her Smart phone and parents.
Thank you to everyone who came and made it a success; there were some lessons learned, but the greatest is that we can all have fun and adventure without too much organisation. Less is definitely More, so what about next year? The weather's good in May, apparently.
Joe
Friday, 16 July 2010
HeB2B - What a success!
I never thought I'd have writer's block, or is it that I don't know where to start?
HeB2B, the 'unofficial' Heb planned in the spirit of Tilman on the back of an envelope (two cereal boxes actually) was a great success. Twenty odd (!) people biked and ran from one end of the Hebrides to the other, ascending all or most of the highest peaks on each island. Many also biked the classic MTB loops of Harris, and added their own little adventures, such as swimming Loch Langabhat in the middle of Lewis. Simple Adventure. Not a marshall or timekeeper in sight - it worked.
The weather was stormy, especially at the start of the week with the Oban-Barra ferry disrupted so that some could not get there for the 'Prologue'; a gentle spin around Barra with the ascents of the highest points on Barra and Vatersay. It was windy but dry with fair views, but the rain and wind came in force on Tuesday as we blasted north over The Uists and Benbecula. Quite rightly some 'optional' summits were missed out by some, in a long day of road biking and hill running. Personally, I really enjoyed a ten hour day with a tail wind pushing me north at 15-20mph, with the time split 50/50% on biking/hill running.
The kayakers had been out on Saturday, Sunday and Tuesday as the wind built to storm force. Another wild camp on the Machair of Berneray was followed by a drier but still winding day for the crossing of the Sound of Harris, and few more hills, and the south Harris loop. Skoon Art Cafe featured very well as a popular 'optional summit.'
Wednesday was the day we had Blue Peter's Helen Skelton join us for a Bike/run/paddle day. Helen did very well on a hired hybrid bike as we cycled the hill over to Tarbet and upto Clisham car park. An ascent of Clisham followed (2000+ feet of bog, rock and scree) and again I was impressed with her fitness and spirit. Unfortunately, filming does absorb a lot of time so we weren't able to 'run' all the way through the Lewis wilderness if we were to get the paddling leg done on Loch Roag Beag. The wind was still very strong alhough from the south, but a tail wind can be tricky in a sea kayak and they had to round the headland onto the beach. I know from the look on the faces and the general buzz on the beach that it had been a tough paddle. Many thanks are due to Tom as 'lead paddler' for making this happen, and to Alex and Colin, also. Helen's day had been filmed as part of the Country Tracks programme and it will be interesting to see how it is appears on the TV.
Meanwhile, Euan had quietly sussed out and swam Loch Langhabat, therefore straightlining the wilderness. He was generously assisted by Claire, who swam both ways in order to test the water before biking back out and around to the north. He arrived after his (relatively short) run looking well satisfied. It think this is simply brilliant and in the true spirit of HeB adventure; watch out for it next year.
Over the next few hours more athletes arrived including those who had 'Hike-a-Biked' through the Wilderness, rather than the 50+ mile road ride around, including AndyM who never misses any options out. (But he did look a bit pooped for a while) It had been a great day; tough weather, rough conditions underfoot, interesting stuff with Helen and Gareth from the BBC, but people had all risen to the challenge and proved that the spirit of adventure is alive and kicking (no pun intended)
More soon....
Joe
HeB2B, the 'unofficial' Heb planned in the spirit of Tilman on the back of an envelope (two cereal boxes actually) was a great success. Twenty odd (!) people biked and ran from one end of the Hebrides to the other, ascending all or most of the highest peaks on each island. Many also biked the classic MTB loops of Harris, and added their own little adventures, such as swimming Loch Langabhat in the middle of Lewis. Simple Adventure. Not a marshall or timekeeper in sight - it worked.
The weather was stormy, especially at the start of the week with the Oban-Barra ferry disrupted so that some could not get there for the 'Prologue'; a gentle spin around Barra with the ascents of the highest points on Barra and Vatersay. It was windy but dry with fair views, but the rain and wind came in force on Tuesday as we blasted north over The Uists and Benbecula. Quite rightly some 'optional' summits were missed out by some, in a long day of road biking and hill running. Personally, I really enjoyed a ten hour day with a tail wind pushing me north at 15-20mph, with the time split 50/50% on biking/hill running.
The kayakers had been out on Saturday, Sunday and Tuesday as the wind built to storm force. Another wild camp on the Machair of Berneray was followed by a drier but still winding day for the crossing of the Sound of Harris, and few more hills, and the south Harris loop. Skoon Art Cafe featured very well as a popular 'optional summit.'
Wednesday was the day we had Blue Peter's Helen Skelton join us for a Bike/run/paddle day. Helen did very well on a hired hybrid bike as we cycled the hill over to Tarbet and upto Clisham car park. An ascent of Clisham followed (2000+ feet of bog, rock and scree) and again I was impressed with her fitness and spirit. Unfortunately, filming does absorb a lot of time so we weren't able to 'run' all the way through the Lewis wilderness if we were to get the paddling leg done on Loch Roag Beag. The wind was still very strong alhough from the south, but a tail wind can be tricky in a sea kayak and they had to round the headland onto the beach. I know from the look on the faces and the general buzz on the beach that it had been a tough paddle. Many thanks are due to Tom as 'lead paddler' for making this happen, and to Alex and Colin, also. Helen's day had been filmed as part of the Country Tracks programme and it will be interesting to see how it is appears on the TV.
Meanwhile, Euan had quietly sussed out and swam Loch Langhabat, therefore straightlining the wilderness. He was generously assisted by Claire, who swam both ways in order to test the water before biking back out and around to the north. He arrived after his (relatively short) run looking well satisfied. It think this is simply brilliant and in the true spirit of HeB adventure; watch out for it next year.
Over the next few hours more athletes arrived including those who had 'Hike-a-Biked' through the Wilderness, rather than the 50+ mile road ride around, including AndyM who never misses any options out. (But he did look a bit pooped for a while) It had been a great day; tough weather, rough conditions underfoot, interesting stuff with Helen and Gareth from the BBC, but people had all risen to the challenge and proved that the spirit of adventure is alive and kicking (no pun intended)
More soon....
Joe
Thursday, 1 July 2010
Last Minute Stuff
Off to The Hebrides tomorrow for HeB2B. It's going to be fun, and a bit of an adventure .... a journey, no less!
B2B has 20-30 people arriving on a remote Hebridean island, many of which haven't been there before. The Hebrides are a remote place; five hours ferry ride from Oban, and at least a days drive from 'the UK'. But it is also a fabulous place, wild and inspiring, weather ever changing and with welcoming and embracing community of people.
It is going to be an adventure of the purest kind; shared objective, realistic outcome, good companionship. I hope so, I know so.
Let's have some fun. Don't worry ... be happy.
B2B has 20-30 people arriving on a remote Hebridean island, many of which haven't been there before. The Hebrides are a remote place; five hours ferry ride from Oban, and at least a days drive from 'the UK'. But it is also a fabulous place, wild and inspiring, weather ever changing and with welcoming and embracing community of people.
It is going to be an adventure of the purest kind; shared objective, realistic outcome, good companionship. I hope so, I know so.
Let's have some fun. Don't worry ... be happy.
Wednesday, 23 June 2010
Oops - Wrong grid reference
Well..... it would be a Heb adventure without at least one dodgy grid reference. Luckily, it's obvious that the camping on Eriskay isn't at 783 713, but 783 113. Thanks to Colin for pointing this out!
Two other quick updates - Paddling and 'After Party'
If you are bringing a boat and hoping to paddle at least some part of the week, then I have, hopefully put you in touch with each other so you can liase over 'hopes and fears.... gear and beers' or whatever. Or just turn up and join in!
'After Party' - even if it's just beers in a bar or on a beach, there is quite a bit of interest in this so I'll be research a camp/eat/drink option somewhere up near the Butt.
Any suggestions?
Two other quick updates - Paddling and 'After Party'
If you are bringing a boat and hoping to paddle at least some part of the week, then I have, hopefully put you in touch with each other so you can liase over 'hopes and fears.... gear and beers' or whatever. Or just turn up and join in!
'After Party' - even if it's just beers in a bar or on a beach, there is quite a bit of interest in this so I'll be research a camp/eat/drink option somewhere up near the Butt.
Any suggestions?
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