1 week to go

Weeks until BG – 1

Weeks until Lakeland 100 - 18

Monday – Nothing

Tuesday – 9 miles around Bowes Moor with 400m of ascent

Wednesday – climb

Thursday – 8 miles Hamsterley with 500m of ascent

Friday – Nothing

Saturday – 10 miles, 1000m of ascent, Newlands Valley, BG L5 hills.

Sunday – Dig out old fence posts.

Total of 27 miles and 1900m of ascent.

Cracking week, lovely weather and some steady miles, no injury worries, just winding down for my BG attempt on Saturday, 6am start, 31^st March.

The reason for the 6am start are two fold. Firstly I don't cope well with lack of sleep, I think that one of the things that went wrong last year (11pm start) was just that I got tired and my body had a bit of a fit. Perhaps that wasn't an issue, but I would like to change the start time so I set off fresh and see if it makes a difference. Secondly I have 2 great men supporting L4 which is the tricky night section with a 6am start. Jim Mann and Simon Noble, I couldn't wish for a stronger support crew for L4, I understand I am giving them a hell of a task to get me round L4 in the dark but if it goes wrong and we don't find the right lines I hope we will have a couple of hours spare so it won't be a major problem.

The team I have got in place is phenomenal considering I only gave myself 3 weeks notice to get things in place.

L1 – Dave Swift (Seasoned BGer) and Fiona Blackett (Wife and top 10 in English Chaps race) + Dave's mate

L2 – Andy Kirkup (very strong BG aspirant) and friend plus Roger Taylor (hero drummer from Queen), or perhaps it is another Roger Taylor, I have no idea?

L3 – Duncan Archer (OMM and LAMM winner)

L4 – Jim Mann (Double BG completer and strong contender for this years ultra series) Simon Noble (Local all round BG encyclopedia)

L5 – Clive King (BG completer who is insistent enough to keep me moving on L5) and Patrick Bonnett (who got round the BG route last year in horrid conditions)

So as you can see a fantastic bunch of runner, so if I don't get round it will be because something went wrong or because I did something wrong.

Fingers crossed. Weather looks good so lets see what happens next Saturday.

If I can I will update on twitter during the day I will #andyblackettBG @AndyBlackett.

2 weeks to go

Weeks until BG – 2.

Weeks until Lakeland 100 – 19.

Mon – 2 miles to loosen the legs

Tuesday – 10 miles, 500m ascent – cockfield Fell.

Wed – climb

Thurs – 6 miles, 700m ascent, Hamsterley

Friday – nothing

Saturday – 16 miles, 1000 ascent, Pennine way to Bleaklow, then 6 miles, 600m ascent, Lads Leap race.

Sunday – rested sore achilles.

Total of 40 miles, 2800m ascent.

With 2 weeks to go till I plan to have a crack at the Bob Graham I didn't want to exhaust myself this week or make my achilles any worse. I have concentrated entirely on steady miles and not done anything super long. Last weeks long run gave me a lot of confidence for 2 weeks time and I don't want to blow it by going off too fast in the race that I had entered on Saturday.

The race was the first in the English Championships, I entered to keep Fiona company and thought I would have a crack at the race, but really enjoyed just trotting round - taking chunks out of the field on every climb and loosing dozens of places as I took it easy on the descents made for an entertaining race, finished well outside the points in about 130th place.  

I did as much as I wanted to do this week. Take it easy for the next 2 weeks and if the weather is good I will try to get the BG done. If not I will do the Allendale challenge race and try to win back my big grouse trophy that I have had for the last 12 months.

Achilles feels better today, it's not right but I reckon it is right enough to keep me going for 24 hours in 2 weeks time.

Fingers crossed for the weather.

Spanked the schedule and slapped by a grouse.

Weeks until BG – 3.

Weeks until Lakeland 100 – 20.

Monday – nothing

Tuesday – 15 miles, 400m ascent, Bowes moor and along A66.

Wednesday – climb

Thursday – steady hill work at Hamsterley, 9 miles, 500m

Friday – rest

Saturday – L2 and L3 of BG, 35 miles, 4000m of ascent.

Sunday – sore achilles.

Total of 59 miles, 4900m of ascent.

Last 4 weeks have been an average of 52miles and 4800m of ascent.

Tuesday was supposed to be the first evening run I had done in daylight this year, but I got held up at work, so got the head torch on and went out on Bowes Moor. Running 4 miles of known ground and then 3.5 miles along the A66 rather than faff around with unknown ground north of the A66. A grouse obviously didn't expect to see me there as he got a fright, flew up and hit me in the face. Other than that and falling into a ditch on the way back an uneventful run.

Thursday I decided not to put in the fast hill reps and save myself for a long run on Saturday.

Saturday was a big day, 11 hours, nearly 60km (sounds further than 35 miles) and 4000m of ascent, all in about half a BG. I got tired on the run back from Scafell Pike to Borrowdale down the breathtakingly beautiful Langstrath Beck, but this was to be expected as I stopped eating properly thinking the day was over.

Saturday was a great day, L2 solo faster than 20 hour pace and L3 with Andy Kirkup on 22 hour pace. It was great to run with Andy whom I met on Gable a few weeks ago, he is a quality runner, with an apparently photographic memory for the route and he seems to understand what he is getting into so I have no doubt he can get round and look forward to helping out on his support crew if I can fit it in.

The only downside of the run on Saturday was a sore right achiles – a bit of me that hasn't been sore before. I had planned to walk up Scafell Pike with some workmates on Sunday, but they bailed on me and rather than push the injury I drove home for a well deserved day off.

Timings from Saturday for the record.

(24 hour schedule in brackets)

Clough Head	50	(59)
Great Dodd	26	(30)
Watson Dodd	10	(9)
Stybarrow Dodd	9	(9)
Raise	15	(18)
White Side	7	(8)
Helvellyn Lower Man	13	(18)
Helvellyn	5	(6)
Nethermost Pike	7	(10)
Dollywaggon Pike	10	(12)
Fairfield	38	(42)
Seat Sandal	23	(25)
Dunmail Raise - Arrive	16	(25)
Steel Fell	24	(25)
Calf Crag	21	(20)
Sergeant Man	32	(35)
High Raise	8	(9)
Thunacar Knott	15	(15)
Harrison Stickle	9	(10)
Pike o Stickle	13	(12)
Rossett Pike	39	(45)
Bowfell	32	(35)
Esk Pike	21	(25)
Great End	25	(25)
Ill Crag	15	(15)
Broad Crag	10	(10)
Scafell Pike	12	(12)

As you can see, I stormed almost all the splits, especially pleasing are the climb of Clough Head, and Fairfield – where I tried a new line and ended up climbing a travellator of scree for the top 50m. I am struggling to believe I took nearly 10m out of the 24 hour schedule on a steady descent of Seat Sandal, perhaps this has got easier as the BG path has developed over the past couple of years.

Another positive was finding the lines on and off Great End (on – follow the first sign of a path up, off due south and follow a line of cairns).

I have an outline of a team for an attempt in 3 weeks time, fingers crossed for the weather!

A great run to Brandreth.

Weeks until BG – 4?

Weeks until Lakeland 100 - 21

Mon – 1.5 miles, 150m of ascent – cockfield fell, nice loosener after last sunday.

Tue - Climb

Wed – 18 miles, 500m of ascent, Hamsterley

Thurs – Parents evening

Fri - Nothing

Sat – 18 miles, 2300 ascent 7:21, BG Leg 3

Sun – 11.5 miles, 1500m ascent 5:30, BG Leg 4

Total of 48 miles, 4450m ascent. A good week, but with no long day of over 8 hours.

I reckon that with another 3 good weeks of training and a good weather window I might be ready for a crack at the BG at the start of my Easter holidays in 4 weeks time if the weather is right.

A good run on Wednesday evening this week, loop around Hamsterley common, via elephant trees, west to the road and then back along the valley, a bit of messing around with the nav, but the SatNav iphone got me round!

After my blog post of a couple of weeks ago, when I realised I wasn't doing enough ascent or enough long training days I focussed my efforts around both of these and decided I wanted to look at BG leg 3 and 4 this weekend. Fortuitously I saw on the BG FRA forum that Andy Gibson was planning just such a reccy, so I contacted him, booked into Wasdale YHA and set off on Saturday morning. It was a great run, very steady pace, but with some atrocious weather, which I can say with some confidence was the worst I have ever been out in, when hail storm hit on Great End and we had to hunker down behind a rock to avoid having the skin sand blasted off our face.

Some nav deliberation, lots of positives such as finding a great line on the climbers traverse to Foxes Tarn route and a good line up to Broad Crag, couple of negatives such as finding the worst line possible off Great End but a very successful day.

Things cleared up beautifully after “the storm” and we got some amazing views off Scafell, to run into Wasdale in the spring sunshine. Special mention to Andy Gibson and Chris Baynham-Hughes for having me along all weekend. Hopefully some photos to follow.

Sunday was to be L4, we planned to meet “Keswick” Simon Noble at the start of the leg, but snow meant he couldn't park at Honister as planned so didn't make it until near Pillar. It was great to have him along to show us some L4 short cuts, the snow made it heavy going but another good day was had.

Split times. (23 hour splits)

Steel Fell -24 (24)

Calf Crag – 25 (20)

Sergeant Man – 46 (34)

High Raise – 11 (9)

Thunacar Knott – 16 (15)

Harrison Stickle – 20 (10)

Pike O Stickle – 14 (12)

Rossett Pike – 47 (44)

BowFell – 39 (34)

Esk Pike - 23(24)

Great End – 35 (24)

Ill Crag – 25 (15)

Broad Crag – 11 (10)

Scafell Pike – 16 (12)

Scafell – 43 (31)

Wasdale – 46 (34)

Yewbarrow – 46 (49)

Red Pike – 51 (49)

Steeple – 26 (23)

Pillar – 38 (33)

Kirk Fell – 65 (49)

Great Gable – 47 (42)

Green Gable – 17 (15)

Brandreth – 14 (18)

Grey Knotts – 8 (8)

Honister – 13 (13)

So you can see that we had a great run to Brandreth! I'm not concerned about the slow splits, a combination of factors weather, nav, pissing about and general chit chat slowed things down a lot.

Next week a big day of Saturday and perhaps a walk with work mates up Scafell Pike on Sunday.