Jason6:25 said...

well having been away for a while and had a few fast road runs i thought i was going ok. it was good to see folk in the sun at the rugby club, but after that it was all downhill...if thats the right word...which it isn't. i was last finisher but it was the time which is most embarrasing. i just exploded on the first big climb and kept going hoping it would pass. it didnt! luckily i had food and water and extra salt so i just plodded on. big blisters at the end, i always get them when i walk too much. anyway it must be doing something because my road times are improving, go figure! well done the rest of you. Hot day, hard course, never again...well not this year.

Sunday 16th July 2006 6.29pm

Muffy the navigator said...

I think that I was the only person to cross the finishing line the wrong way. After n hours on the hill (okay, 5), I turned left at the last gate, instead of going straight on. After a tour of Moffat, and accosting several good burghers of Moffat (none of whom knew the way to the finish and were all sending me in the wrong direction), a recently finished runner saw me from the window of his house and came out to escort me to the finish. Unfortunately, after about 100 yards he said that he was going to pass out and left me with a series of "take the first right, then the next left, followed by another two rights". Enough to get me to the finish, albeit from the wrong direction.. A classic Muffy, if I may say so.

Was itworth two bottles of wine? Hmm, I am chuffed I did it, or at least I was until that horrendous climb. My first, and last, long hill race!

Many thanks to Christine and Ronnie for their happy faces and buckets of water.

Monday 17th July 2006 7.24am

Manny said...

Well done Muffy!!All other burds take heed.It was above and beyond the call from Captain Cat to take on a route of that nature in the heat, but the ladies team would have been knackered without Muffy and have now deservedly jumped above Cosmic lassies in the league to emulate the guys team.Muffy will also recieve her bonus points for marshalling duties earlier in the year.Well done to everyone who finished in the heat but tough luck to Swaz who cramped up after only a mile and had to spend the day eating ice cream, drinking beer and watch the Moffat Gala celebrations.......hang on, cramp after a mile???Swaz I smell a rat!!!

Monday 17th July 2006 9.46am

Hamilton said...

Two days post-race & perhaps a few brain cells are functioning now. Apologies to all who attempted to talkto me at the end. Must have looked in terminal decline. The terrain on this course was an absolute killer.Yes, perhaps it was the best idea, like Swaz, to pull up after a mile. Hamstring cramp is about the mostpainful,but Saturday it was the adductors,and it was just as painful. As I finished -was mistaken for a runnerthat had finished hours before-as I ambled over the line,looking like I was on a warm down walk.What a cheek, 1m.p.h. is so impressive. Anyway, if any of us were thinking never again, a good tonic was to read Askwith (Feet in the Clouds) again.I picked it up yesterday and started reading his account of the LAMM a few years ago. Had me chortling inthe first line.He goes on about the delights of being woken by a lone,demented bagpiper at 5.00 a.m.Could have done with a piper on Saturday,amongst many things. Until next time.......

Monday 17th July 2006 11.23am

JD said...

Having ran Wasdale last week I was either going to be knackered or energised for the return of the "old" long Moffat Chase race, first ran by me way back in 1988, and it turned out to be both! I started out at not too bad a pace up through the forest for the first mile, but then felt it was a bit too fast, eased off a bit and then started to feel a bit wobbly on the first climb, the old negative thoughts forcing their way to the fore as I cursed Wasdale. Captainess Cat eased by me at this point as I started to contemplate a nice long but hard saunter round, taking in the views and watching everyone pass me. The legs were simply dead and the runnable part from the first checkpoint was hard going as I tried to hang on to Hamilton who had also caught me up. I soon started to feel a bit better on the contour round to the col near Hart Fell, gaining the minute of deficit on Cat by getting a better lower line. We chatted away the climb up to Hart Fell where I found my descending legs to then ungentlemanly leave her to chase after Louise Burt and Tosh Brannan who were just ahead. I caught them up near Hartfell Rig and then caught a few more on the fantastic ridge run along to Saddle Yoke. From there I enjoyed somehow the steep grassy descent down to the landrover at Blackhope Burn, zig-zagging my way down while trying not to think about what lay ahead at the bottom. The climb up to Black Craig was a dire trudge of slow footstep after slow footstep, trying to convince myself that everyone else must be feeling at least as bad. Ronnie gave out some welcome water before the final trudge up to Nether Coomb Craig, where I passed Murdo, giving me some renewed energy. I shot off the wrong way from the checkpoint, only to be called back by the marshalls. There was a good heathery descent to the forest near Auldton Fell, where the frontrunners had left some convenient trods in the long grass. The pressure of Murdo following behind kept me pushing on and on the climb up to Greygill Head (the 1st CP also) I managed to reel in a few more bodies that were wilting in the heat. I was a great relief to know that it was more or less all down hill from here and I passed a few more on the stony/heathery/muddy descent that I had struggled up 3 hours earlier. I was a great relief to get back into the cool shady forest for the final mile of the race which was probably the best part of the race. I was well chuffed to finish 24th, if 15 min down on my time in 1988. The showers back at the rugby club put a bit of life back into me and afterwards Cat, Chris, David and me wandered back into Moffat for an ice cream and a listen to the Langholm Town Band blast out a few tunes. Various Westies arrived back in assorted states but all did extremely well, especially Luke and Manny up front, the Westies Wummin and Jason manfully bringing up the rear. A great race in a lovely part of the country, see you all next year?! Results here

Monday 17th July 2006 11.55pm

cat said...

Just a wee note to say WELL DONE to the Westiezzz Burdzzz! We (Muffy ValB and me) were the only ladies team tough enough to run in the face of scorching temperatures, tussocky terrain, killer climbs and near heat exhaustion - it's amazing what a westie woman will do for a couple of bottles of wine!!

Tuesday 18th July 2006 9.34am

Struck-down-swaz said...

...so the pain turns out to be something called Illotibial Band Friction Syndrome - probably brought about by a winter of skiing followed by a month of biking.

The physio reckons my hip rotators / balancers are too weak for the size my quads are - back to the drawing board.....

Tuesday 25th July 2006 11.51am