Rolling with the punches on a long run across Dartmoor

Blue skies, lumpy ground and a fast downhill finish

The forecast had been for blue skies from dawn until dusk, which is not generally ideal for running. Still, I was more disappointed than relieved by the grey skies and chilly temperatures as we drove to the north of Dartmoor early on Saturday morning. I was running our annual Way of the Runner Dartmoor Crossing, 33 miles (52km) of rugged, hilly terrain, and it was going to be my longest run of the year by far. So these cooler temperatures were good. Yet I couldn’t help but long for the epic beauty of a sun-drenched moor, the dappled shade down in the valleys, the refreshing dips in the rivers.

I needn’t have worried. An hour or so in to our run, the skies began to clear and the sun started doing its thing, drenching the world in colour. We were soon peeling off the layers, and in the end we were thankful for a slight north-westerly breeze that kept the edge off the heat.

A few of the group sat down in the river at one point to cool off, but the water levels were so low it was hard to get a proper dip. But even wading through the water ankle deep was deliciously refreshing.

This was the fifth Dartmoor crossing I’d done and despite the fact I haven’t been wracking up the milage this year, and I’ve been focused more on running 5Ks, some of that Ireland fitness must still be lingering in my legs because I found this the easiest crossing yet.

At one point near the end, one guy seemed to have energy to burn and I could tell he was itching to go faster, so down a long, gradual descent I pushed on ahead. He eagerly followed and soon the two of us were tumbling down the grassy slope side by side, our legs flying away under us. Thirty-two miles in to a run and we knocked out a mile in well under 7 minutes (around 4 minutes per km pace). The only thing holding me back from going faster was a slight feeling that I might ping a hamstring if I did.

I don’t know where this leaves me in my pursuit of a sub 18-minute 5K. I don’t know many coaches who would advise that someone aiming to run a fast 5K should go and do a 7-hour trail run, but I guess it means my base endurance is still pretty good, which can only be a positive thing.

At one point about 24 miles in, we headed across an extremely uneven, soft section of high moorland, the ground making us stumble and wobble as we tried to run. At least one other runner was finding it frustrating and was scowling aloud in annoyance. I knew what she was experiencing, because I’d felt like that before on uneven ground, when you’re tired and you just want to run goddam it.

But to run through a section like this, you have to roll with it, rather than fight it. You have to be like water. As it tips you to one side, rather than jerk the other way in an attempt to right yourself, only to find the next footfall now throwing you off in another direction, you have to let yourself go, rolling to the side you’ve been tipped, allowing yourself to be loose in your body. I don’t mean literally falling over, but accepting that you now have to step over to this side, off the tiny track, perhaps.

More than a physical thing, it’s a mental thing. Rather than fight it in your mind, seeing it as this thing throwing you around, trying to stop you running, you need to approach it with an acceptance, knowing that you’re not going to run through this section in a normal, straight line, but acknowledging that you will be pushed this way and that. And like an earthquake-proof building, if you’re a little less rigid, both physically and mentally, you’re much less likely to fall, or get annoyed. You may even begin to enjoy it, feeling as though you’re riding across the ground in a frantic little rollercoaster that tips you and jerks you here and there.

In any case, those were my philosophical thoughts as I lolled and rolled happily over that section.

You may recall my friend Colum, who came from barely having ever run before (well, except for one solitary coaching session with me - I’m sure it was all down to that) to running a 16-minute 5K. Well, he joined the crossing on Saturday, and raised an amazing £2,701 (and counting - there’s still time to donate here) for Medical Aid for Palestinians.

Of course, he’s a natural-born runner, but he is in his 40s and had never run more than 16 miles in one go before this weekend, so this was quite a serious step up in distance - especially on the Dartmoor terrain.

Well, he did fine, of course, but I’m glad to say he was extremely tired by the end - so he is human at least!

I know a lot of people were up in Snowdonia at the weekend racing the UTS, and it looked like amazing conditions up there. I hope those who ran had a good one - please do share your experiences of racing there or anywhere else in the comments below. It seemed like it was a wonderful weekend for a long run (in the UK, at least).