Carnethy 5 Hill Race near Edinburgh. Was going over for the weekend was asked if I wanted to do a hill race while I was there. "Sure!," I innocently replied, but had to get through the lottery system first. I made the pre-selection list but then didn't get a spot initially so then some negotiations were made with the RD, and he let me in.
http://www.carnethy.com/ri_c5.htm
Saw a couple of videos from the race and the course profile (approximately 2500ft in 6 miles), which should have made me realize what I was getting myself into, but it wasn't until I was standing on the start line look up at the hills that I thought....oh crap! I'm sure some of my teammates are chuckling right now as I have made my views on hills known in the past (I feel I'm coming round to them though). Mandatory gear included full waterproof gear, a compass and a map because the route is not marked and apparently sometimes it is so foggy that you can't see where you are going! Lucky for me the weather was co-operative; it was raining on the drive there but let up an hour or so before the race. Still, I wore more clothing than I expected to, swapping out my shorts for tights and adding a second base layer under a jacket, as well as starting with a toque and gloves. Winds on the top of the hills were crazy, but apparently it was nothing compared to how it sometimes is!
First 500m of the course is relatively flat but cross a bog so feet were wet off the start. I had been warned that the first and last climbs were the worst but for me it was the first one that I struggled with the most - the first half of it was really steep and off-trail and I could not believe how the folks all around me were just hopping up it! First climb felt never-ending but then 2-3 felt like a walk in the park, and the descents were spectacular as the sky was clear. #4 was a steep bastard but after that was a nice long descent to Carnethy, the largest and final hill. Didn't find this quite as steep as the first hill and we were on trail which made it easier, as well as knowing it was the last! Hill finally ended and we rounded the cairn for the final descent, which was mostly off trail through heather and scree. Found it hard to trust the heather and felt annoyingly slow through this bit but was thankful when we finally got to the bottom and could run the last part back through the finish.
Suffice to say, the Carnethy 5 course record was safe from me as I was very much at the back of the pack. However, I enjoyed being out of my element and doing something that felt so strange and unknown, and the course was beautiful. Now that I know what "hill racing" actually means, I'd love to be able to go back and tackle that again sometime with some diferent training under my belt (shockingly, the 10 minute step mill intervals and treadmill hills were not sufficient!). Really enjoyed the atmosphere at the race where everyone seemed to know everyone and where people are kicking hill running ass well into their 60s (a 70+ man beat me!). Got a nice warm meal after the race and there was always lots of tea and biscuits available.
It was recommended that I bring my Spikecross for these and was so thankful that I did! Now I know why Salomon makes fell running shoes and most runners seemed to be either in these or Inov8s. I would not have survived in my regular trail shoes and even had trouble in the Spikecross on a couple of descents.