Looking Ahead from the OMM

I am disappointed that we didn't finish the OMM this year, but we are already looking forward to next year, and reappraising what went wrong and what we could do better.

We pulled out because Pete was broken, but actually we were both finding it hard work. OK - I know that you expect to find a Mountain Marathon hard work, but whereas we have held our head up in previous years, this year every team we saw was overtaking us.  That is probably partly because we were doing a harder race, or at least one where we had little control over how hard we had to work and how far we had to go.  The Score classes that we had run before had let us set the pace and distance, but the Line classes don't give you that luxury.  But we should have been able to get fit enough to do the C Class. Pete and I discussed a few things after the race:

• General Fitness - We were both in reasonable nick, but my training had been disrupted by injury in the months before the race, and Pete's by work. So we probably weren't as fit as we could have been.
• Tiredness - Pete and I were both quite tired and weary in the weeks before the race, and I don't think we'd shaken it off. Pete had been up at 0500 on Friday morning, and although we slept ok on Friday night, a night in a cold tent is often a bit broken (it is for me at any rate!)
• Uphill power - This is where we both felt we were really weak. The climb from the third control was very hard, but we were overtaken by about 10 teams as we slogged up. They were finding it hard too, but they were beating us! 
• Food - We probably got this not too bad. Could probably have eaten a bit more on Friday and had a bit more for breakfast, and maybe eaten more snacks as we went round.  But not much more.  
• Kit - We could, as ever, make our kit lighter. But only at the cost of comfort! Thinner sleeping bag, lighter mat, updated Laser, less spare kit. My bag was only 7.5 - 8 kg without water (and I wasn't carrying much water!).
• Routefinding - we made one minor error, but apart from that I don't think mapwork affected us.

So what do we do to improve?

• Course - Pete has proposed returning to the Medium Score, and focusing on doing that well and getting a good place. That makes sense, though it would leave me with a niggling feeling the C Class beat me!
• Hill training - essential if we are to perform well.  I plan to do more steep climbs and runs (Beacon Hill, St Catherines Hill)  and to do some gym work on the stepper and cross trainer.
• Just get fitter - The fitter we are the better we will perform.  After a year dogged by injury, I hope that this year it will all go much better. 5x50 was a good start, and I'll do it again next year and make sure Pete does too!

Next Challenge - the next challenge will be Horseplay in March. A great chance to show off our new hill climbing skills!