'The Wrekin Streak' Fell Race - Fasted

Location: The Wrekin
Date: 21st April

The Race: up the light side and down again. 2.75 miles, 810 feet of ascent.

Time: 26:56

Post Workout Nutrition: a rabbit, an hour later.

Two years ago I ran this in about 24:15. This time I am a little heavier, a little less fit and a little slower downhill because of my 'barefoot' footwear.

The last excuse I can live with, the first two, I must work on.

That said, I am growing in confidence with the downhill, which is heartening. Last time I ran down the same route I was much more afraid and less surefooted. Perhaps my feet are strengthening, but I have a sense that I am also becoming less afraid.

There were also three interesting dimensions to this run.

First, I had not eaten since the night before, when I had eaten a mackerel. Yet I was able to fuel nearly 30 minutes of hard running, then drive home for 45 minutes. At no point did I feel faint.

Second, I have been on a virtually zero carb diet since Monday - there were no vegetables with that mackerel, as the photo shows.

Third, earlier that day, I received two combination vaccination jabs for a variety of diseases. Can I workout later? had been my question. Just make sure you eat plenty was the response, which as you see, I duly ignored.

I must confess that at the start of the race, my legs felt heavy. I am not convinced this has anything to do with any of these factors though. They had felt heavy all week, even before I started the change in diet. I attribute it more to the combination of a long, easy run on Sunday after 'incorrect nutrition' the night before!

Update: Lightning has posted a few videos from his headcam, which he cunningly secreted aongst the branches of a tree at the start/finish. Here is one of them. You can see me trundling home in the last 20 seconds, and can tell that by this point my feet were feeling the wrath of the stoney ground.