Golden Fleece Circuit

And finally, an event that I have turned up for and successfully trotted around in 2016.  Who would have thought?

For anyone reading this who is unaware, the Golden Fleece Circuit is a mixed terrain event in South Yorkshire.  There are 15 and 27 mile options and it is organised by the local Scouts group.  If you've ever been to one of these, or an LDWA event, you'll know the deal on the low key nature of the day.  You'll also have a feel for how important your ability to navigate a route is if you want to have a good day out there.  Generally you'll be provided with a couple of sides of A4 route directions, a basic map, and an expectation that you can look after yourself as an adult and not be a burden on the organisers (or mountain rescue, depending on the event).

As the name suggests, the Golden Fleece Circuit is a looped course which keeps the logistics pretty simple.  The small hall that doubles as registration area pre-race, and soup kitchen post-race has enough capacity to store kit bags while you explore the nearby wilds.

For my part, the day went well.  From some basic research I knew that the route would be a mixture of paths and tarmac.  I was also aware that I wouldn't be standing on top of a moor trying to take a bearing with my rusty navigation skills.  A good prospect for the first event in a long while.  Still being in recovery from injury, and not wanting to explain a worsened wound to the nurse on the following Tuesday, my execution plan for this was to take it easy throughout.  I'd say I was about 80% successful.  I'd like to explain more about the route, but like just about every event I've taken part in, most of it was a blur.  I can be sure when I say that this is a very runnable route.  I think there was one hill that would force you to a walk even if you were looking to race this hard.  Of course, that hill was in the last couple of miles because, Race Organisers.  The route was relatively easy to follow for one of these types of events.  If you're expecting ribbons on every corner, this is not the run for you.  I did manage to step off the route for a while due to thoughtlessly following the couple of groups ahead of me, but that is most definitely my fault rather than anything else.

The weather was also a little interesting with all four seasons making an appearance.  The drive up from Northampton had been shrouded in drizzle and flurries of snow.  This is not a great sign when driving north for an outdoor event but for the majority of my run, the sky stayed on my side.  The wide expanse allowed plenty of opportunity to watch the clouds as they rolled in, not that there was much to be done about it when it did arrive.  10 minutes of chilly rain 90 minutes into the race, sun so warm that I would have been happier in shorts and t-shirt during the next hour, and then a little later, driving hail as I travelled along a ridge line.  It did finally throw it down with rain in the minutes after I finished.  You couldn't help but feel for those still out on the course.

It is a couple of days later now and no particular ill effects seem to have occurred.  My calves would feel happier if I'd put in some proper training in the weeks beforehand.  I did pick up a head cold which is yet to clear but nothing that is preventing ongoing training, so it would seem that the Edale Skyline on Sunday is still on the cards.  At least that is only 21 miles.  This was certainly my thinking until I started to read the blogs of people who ran the race in 2015.  The thought of running in thigh deep mud was not something that gets my juices flowing at this moment in time.

For reference, I've noticed that some of the events I attend do not have good route files available so I'll be uploading mine.  The FIT file is direct from the Fenix 3.  The gpx file is the converted version through Garmin connect.  For this event, it is definitely worth bearing in mind that I took a bit of a detour 20km in.

Route files