You know what they say about best laid plans- things don’t always go the way you were expecting.
My last race was the Lowther Trail Half Marathon. There wasn’t a ‘plan’ per se- the idea was to have a nice jog and enjoy the show afterwards… I have to say, I struggled and it was one of those days when it just seemed really difficult!
I admit to walking the last half mile. On the bright side, came 9th but it wasn’t well deserved. Rolled into the finish feeling a bit deflated.
Across the next week, I pootled around with the dog with no real focus.
Luckily we had an adventure lined up:
The initial plan was to run the Isle of Man Ultra route with colleagues. This meant catching the ferry at around 12am on Tuesday, doing the route (with support) then catching the bus back to Douglas to get the 7.30pm ferry back.
Unfortunately our group was hit with various injuries and we were reduced to a team of three plucky adventures. Looking at the weather, demands on our support, the fact that it was TT practice week and the threat of missing the last bus (most likely due to me dawdling along) we plotted an alternate route. This one was 30k instead of 30miles, it meant we could do it unsupported and wouldn’t have to rely on public transport as we’d run from Ramsey into port at Douglas. And so we had a plan!
The journey across was smooth. People opted for various Tetris-like sleeping positions…however you could configure your body to best tessalate with the seats. The hardened bikers opted for flat out under the table. Our 3rd Muskateer Charlie used his army skills to construct a chaise longue out of two chairs, Ed attempted a bold manoeuvre of spooning the armrest but ultimately failed and wasn’t far off spooning the bikers (now in full flow of snoring) on the floor. The floor became the most attractive option and I soon succumbed and hunkered down.
6am arrived and so did we, into Douglas, where the mist was settling in. Our host collected us and we were fortunate to have a brief tour of the island on the way to our starting point of Ramsey. The TT course was set up and we began to get a feel of just how low the cloud was. We arrived in Ramsey and hearty breakfast, we bid farewell to our wonderful host and set about towards the path for Barrule.
Eventually the sun broke though! We felt optimistic that we may just get a glimpse of what the Isle of Man has to offer. Ed took this great shot:
Our individual skill sets made us a formidable navigational team and we were soon carving our way through the gorse to the summit of Barrule.
Frustratingly, as we climbed higher, the gloom descended down to meet us. It was very much sunk in for the day. We picked our way along the ridge, noting the aesthetically pleasing cairns along the way.
It was damp but we were covering ground at a good pace so we were ok without jackets. Before we knew it, we’d reached the end of the ridge and were heading back down towards the foot of the highest point of our journey Snae Fell. Again this was under thick cloud and the chill was beginning to set in. Luckily there’s a cafe at the top and it has just opened- hot tea and tea cakes broke the journey nicely.
After a blast under the hand dryer we continued on.
Some handy compass work set us fair and we made good progress down from the summit. We joined up eventually with the TT course and picked our way alongside the road towards the Millennium Way.
And so began a treacherous section where, not unlike Frodo in LotR, we faced various foes. From uneven footpaths, to briars, belligerent cows and wayward signage. Eventually, we emerged triumphant at a pub where we received vital sustenance of chips and shandy.
From here, The Heritage way brought us back into Douglas. This was a long, very runnable section with a really good surface underfoot meaning that we could pick up the pace.
The sun came out…a bit. We reached the Port of Douglas in around 22 miles where we hunkered down for burgers and beers.
We’re collectively classing this as a recce for ‘next time’!
hailultratrail 