7. Race Review - Man Vs. Lakes

30 miles of the Lancashire and Cumbria’s wildest tracks, 4500 feet of elevation and 8 hours of spectacular views that make up for the effect the grueling terrain has on your body. Man vs. Lakes was way tougher than I anticipated, but  I rose to the challenge... Blood, sweat and tears.

Sunset in Morecambe

Last week heralded the second event in the Man vs. series and my third ultra distance race; the furthest I’ve ever run (and I use the term loosely) in one go. Man vs. Lakes is my local Rat Race event. Starting just up the coast from Morecambe and finishing in my home county of Cumbria. It’s a truly spectacular landscape and I should have known not to underestimate it.

Miles of sand, sea and more sand…

Route map missing the first few miles... We did in fact start on land

The Morecambe Bay is something I get to appreciate on a daily basis; on my commute into work, from the top of the reactor building and in my regular running routes as it’s a stone’s throw from my flat (see what I did there… Stones and beaches). And even though I’ve known I was going to be doing this event since November last year, I hadn’t quite grasped the fact that I would be in the middle of the bay. The descent on the beach at the start line, with a view out to sea was awe-inspiring. Not to mention the views of the power station (I don't usually get to view it from that angle).

It wouldn't be a Rat Race event if there weren't some obstacles. The first few were thrown at us by nature; in the form of sand and sea channels in the middle of the bay. I've never run, run on sand. Sometimes it was great to run on and springy and other times it was uneven or sinking... 

Then there was the thigh deep channel with its super strong current. I have a newfound respect for the sea having experience its pull on my legs. All I could think though was "Please don't fall over now Jennifer. Your phone isn't in a waterproof case." Luckily I made it across the sand unscathed and having met a fellow engineer! 

Off the sand and a short run down the prom at Grange-over-Sands and I'd made it to check point one... I was just over a fifth of the way through and my toe tape was done, unstuck from my dip in the sea. That and feeling like I had peed myself were just how I wanted this early in the event. 

Paddy and I don't run together for the whole race. He runs on and waits for me at the check points, then we run the last section together... Its not fair really, he gets all the rest and I have to eat and walk.... Boo, but since when was I one for complaining?! I'm not sure I will ever be able to keep up, regardless of my legs being marginally longer. He is like a mountain goat on those hills. I chase him up the hills huffing and puffing like the wolf in the three little pigs story, much to the horror of the other runners. 

Found this beauty - I am such an attractive runner

At the top of another of natures obstacles, the vertical kilometer, there was this lovely flattish/downhill section; where you could take in the view, recover and stretch the legs out.  And stretch I did. I managed to get the split time between Paddy and I down to ten minutes on that middle section; I have the guy running in front of me on the rocky downhill to thank. If it weren’t for him I wouldn’t have known where to step and would either have had to walk down or risk breaking a leg while attempting to run.

 Nature’s Roller-coaster Ride, all 4000 ft

I think growing up in West Cumbria, not far from the Lake District, you take it all for granted. Having not lived there for a few years I think I am beginning to appreciate its natural beauty the way a tourist would. Not being surrounded by it all the time gives you a different perspective. And Man vs. Lakes definitely gave me the opportunity to take in some perspectives I'd never thought possible before. The sense of achievement when you ascend one of these peaks, only to find you're on the way down to do it all again... Well, come at me!

My enthusiasm has peaked looking through all these photos now. However, I'm not sure the same was true on Saturday. My knees have not been fans of the down hills since Arran. So the elevation in this race reeked havoc. Although most noticeably was the tightening in my hip flexor muscle. Halfway round I thought a rock would do as a makeshift foam roller to help get the knot out. All I succeeded in was giving myself a bruise... The relief and massage would have to wait til I was over the finish line. But until then I had Paddy, telling me how proud he was of how far I had come. His lovely word only made my cry (I blame the physical stress and long hours), but as always we finished it together. 

What next?

30 miles gives you a long time to think. Especially when you are puffing and waddling for a majority of those 30 miles. Before I ran the Ultra Tour of Arran I was in the habit of running at lunchtimes and hitting the gym before and after work. I can make all the excuses I want about the gym here: I don’t like the classes, they aren’t at good times, but the truth is I haven’t been motivated to run (or do a lot really) in the last couple of months… I’ve know I’ve had all these events coming and not done a lot about it. Including leaving it til he very last minute to buy a pair of trail shoes and explains why I have now have two pairs (the first pair didn’t come until after I got back from Man vs. Coast).

Chasing the Uruk-hai

Serious Note...

I’ve realised I need to up my game, especially seen as the third and final Man vs event (Man vs. Mountain - an epic journey from sea level to the summit of Snowdon) is followed the next day by a Wolf Run, which Paddy is jokingly saying I have to win again… So what am I going to do about it?

1. Join a running club – this kills two birds with one stone – I get to socialise and run. The last few months have been a bit too solitary in the evenings. 
2. Get a regular program going in the gym – the next four weeks are uninterrupted by events so I should be able to make good progress getting into a routine.
3. Run to work at least once a week – I have a 5 mile commute to work down the promenade, quite a good distance.

Writing about my plans here gives me a sense of accountability, something I need in my life. So I guess I will keep you posted on how it goes over the next month and beyond. Hopefully I'll be better prepared for the next event. 

See you next year at Man vs. Lakes

Man vs. Lakes is probably the hardest event I've done thus far. But what is life for if not to challenge yourself? So having just purchased my second Rat Race Season Pass, I am keen to achieve the goals I have set above. I want to complete the races I have done this year in less time and hopefully feel less broken at the end of it all. Aiming to be able to run more consistently at the ultra distances. 

I’ve said it before and I will say it again. Ultra Tour of Arran – Goat Fell – you will be mine in 2019!

Final descent - check out that cloud bank