Stretching the Distance.

Gazing off into the misty green of the Gwydir Forest, today feels different.  Contemplating how this run is going to go, and focusing on how I'm feeling, trying to tune in; do I feel anxious, am I confident, how is my body reacting to my mental perception of how difficult this might be.  All of this in a timely fashion, before taking a deep breath and the first step.  Once my right foot (always my right foot), strikes the ground all of those thoughts pass and I'm running.  I'm in it for the long hall.  My first 30 mile mountain run begins.

My legs felt heavy from the outset.  Whilst warming into pace, I reflect that it maybe wasn't such a good idea to have ran the 6 miles up Helgi Ddu a day earlier, with a 6 mile run in the forest the day before.  That can't be helped, I told myself - just get on with the job and stop thinking so much.   For me, it's important to stay in the moment on long runs.  To focus on being as aware as possible as to what is going on around you.  Listening to the birds call to each other, the wind through the trees, the changing colours as the sun filters through the canopy, the sky, the clouds, and my feet as they move over rough forest trails.  This always takes a few miles for me.  Maybe 4 miles in, my mind is where it needs to be, my pace falls into place, my lungs engage and again - I'm just running in my own, uninterrupted space.

Gwydir Forest, finding pace.  Photo: Adam Groves 

I love running through the wooded area at the tail end of Crimpiau.  Looking over towards Lliwedd, the first leg done.  Mile 7, and the forest comes to an end.  The terrain changes here, as you head onto the old A5, with 4 miles stretching out in front of you.  Its easy to get psyched out here, as if you look to far up the trail as you run, it gets seemingly further away, as opposed to closer.  I centre my attention instead on the beauty around me, and looking up at Pen Yr Ole Wen, the Glyderau and Carneddau, I imagine running the tracks up there, and wonder how the weather is - is there still ice and snow, or should I get up there sooner rather than later.  How do the trails fit together, what will the sections feel like, how will I feel up there...  Drifting off, the section is done, and I'm crossing over to run the Ogwen lake trail.  The last few weeks, this has been so wet.  Calf deep in water, no chance of dry feet.  

Drifting off, checking out the higher realms.

Today, as luck would have it, I can run faster than usual here, as the streams have dried out into trail.  I think to myself, 'I'll come back this way' as I'm feeling that I can make the distance now.  Instantly, those heroic, preemptive thoughts creep in; shall I go for 35 today, and add in more altitude gain and so on.  I stop and again tell myself to 'take a knee', stop thinking and stick to the plan.  Once done, I'm having so much fun, leaping over rocks, getting some good speed and enjoying the trail.  If you have never ran this route - do it!  It's amazing at speed, and keeps you on your toes.  

Mile 13, and I arrived at Ogwen Cottage.  Changing layers, windproof on, ready for the climb up Yr Garn.  Getting ready to run up a further 2110ft of hard ascent felt quite daunting.  Stopping to chat to a team of northern mountain bikers helped, and took my mind off the fact that things where about to get cold and steep!  Fuelling up, and feeling warm now, I moved on through Cwm Idwal, and up towards Y Garn.  The climb up is a tough one, and keeps on coming.  Rounding the boulder strewn climb up, and running past Llyn y Cwn, before the final hike up to the peak.  

Llyn Y Cwn, just before the final push up Yr Garn.

I was pretty elated at this point, now 16 miles in with one of the best views in Wales.  I kinda made the mistake of allowing myself to think ahead to the Snowdonia 100, and got focused on staring out the trail up the SW face of Pen Yr Ole Wen.  Man - that it steep!  After bringing myself round, and shaking off the feeling of now being tired and daunted from the thoughts of running 100 miles,  I began the run down the ridge back into the Cwm Idwal, and over to the join the Ogwen Trail once again, 4 miles below.  The run down the steep ridge back into the cwm is fast and incredible fun!  In no time at all, I was over half way at 21 miles, ready to take on the final 9 back to where I began.

Miles 21 to 24 where pretty difficult.  I was low on food, and hadn't really spoken to anyone for a while.  I couldn't work out whether music was a good idea, so didn't bother trying.  I took the road from Ogwen Lake trail to Capel, as I was becoming aware that time constraints where creeping in, and I needed to get this finished.  My legs where getting pretty tired, and I was trying to work out why.  Last weeks 26 miles had felt relatively easy, and I was only on mile 23 and things where feeling difficult.  Again, my mindful line 'take a knee' popped into my head, so I stopped for a while, taking in the mountains, looking back to where I had come from, hoping to find some energy to carry on.  Staying in the moment is so important at these points for me.  Once I had managed to eradicate thoughts of time, and having informed myself that I totally had this, I was running again, back through the familiar territory of Crimpiau, and up and over into the forests once again.

Its a beautiful thing, when you the realisation hits you that you have ran through the day, and into dusk.  Over 6 hours on my feet now, hyper-aware  of the noises of the forest, the waning light and the shift in my perception; I had succeeded in what I had set out to achieve.  Rounding off and over the Afon Llugwy, feeling the power of the water rush by, the final mile back into Betws Y Coed.  30 miles, my first solo Ultra distance, job done.