LONG ROAD OUT OF EDEN JURBY (PART TWO)

Happy new year to everyone and I hope that 2023 brings you everything you wish for, especially on 24^th/25^th June... I am currently awaiting my new trainers to be delivered to Up and Running, I favour Brooks Adrenaline GTS 22 Men's Running Shoes SS22 these days after years of wearing Asics as the former have a bit more room for my big feet, having in recent years painfully learned that your feet swell after hours on the road! So, after a week of excess the first thing I did this morning was to put my entry in (number 206).

Entering the Parish Walk

The opening ‘event’ of the Parish calendar is always to see who stays up until midnight to be the first person to enter. This year the accolade went to five-times finisher Ann-Marie Clucas who combines the attributes of a ‘can do’ attitude along with some very worthy fund-raising activities.

I always enter on the 1^st January as the intentions are always good at this time of the year! Others chose Christmas Day, like Jason Kelch, who I am sure will be hoping to go even further than a fine walk to Lezayre in 2021, whilst many others choose the month ends before the price increases to the next notch. The most intriguing ‘Parishers’ though are those who submit their entry on the last date before closing. On many occasions I have seen 50 to 60 finally ‘commit’ on this day. All I can recommend is that you enter as soon as you can, which leaves more time to focus on your training and less opportunity for ‘second thoughts’.

How much training should you do?

Unless you have the same genes as legendary 31 times finisher David Callister, you are going to have to do some training in order to be fully prepared for the big day. Though how much should you do? 20-times finisher/multi-centurion Andrew Titley did over 1000 miles prior to the 2021 event, all in a good cause whilst raising funds for the Isle Listen charity, In recent years both Stewart Jones (6 finishes) and Bernie Johnson (women’s winner in 2018) have trained every day for (well) in excess of 12 months, whilst five-times finisher Dudley Butt (of Dudley Butt’s foot fame) told me that for years he did the same circa 180 miles training schedule.

As for myself it is the intention to complete 300 miles of training in addition to the regular four-five social walks my wife Cath and I undertake most afternoons between Monday and Friday each week. In addition, I also aim to fit in a few trips to the Gym and trawl through youtube and some of race-walking guru Dave McGovern’s books to find some suitable stretching exercises for one who is rapidly approaching pensionable age!   

In summary, the more training you do the better (until it is time to ‘taper’) and the instruction from those who are successful seems to be regular short walks, plus one long walk during each week, increasing in distance with four/five hours or 20 miles being the maximum before the event. Start early in the year!

 Where to do your training

Everyone has their favourite courses around the Island to get their training miles in. My own area of choice is in the vicinity of Baldwin, which has a variety of different routes which provide a choice of distances of 5, 6, 7, 8, 10 and 13 miles (although the latter one involves a hike up Injebreck Hill to the junction with Brandywell, which is tough on the knees!). When the T.T. Practices make access to Baldwin problematical, I adjourn to Stewart Jones’s territory around Maughold which includes 7- and 11-miles’ routes, both of which contain the infamous Ballajora climb, which is only 0.6 miles in total, though the final stretch up from the tram lines to the turn at the top can test the resolve!

For those looking to reach Peel for the first time it is recommended to tackle the Ballakillowey/Sloc ascent at least once as part of your training schedule, so there are no ‘surprises’ on the day. The section from Rushen Church up to the crossroads at the Round Table (and back) is a total of 11 miles and the first part is the worst, the incline steadily increasing until a final tough stretch gets you from the picnic area to ‘Tom the Dippers’ before you can get your breath back and admire the spectacular views prior to the less testing (though longer) Sloc section,

In fact, training on the various sections of the Parish route is good practice, although training on the Jurby to Bride section will be more pleasant than on the day! Finally, for those with access to Strava it is a good idea to ‘follow’ some of the top walkers, which will give further ideas of suitable areas on which to test the trainers in advance of the day.

  

 

Approaching Marown with daughter Vicky in the 2016 event. Not smiling later in the day, no doubt!