OK so this time its not 8 weeks of nothing but it might be a week or so. P and I had Friday off work and went to Yorks. climbing with a mate. We met up in the car park of Giggleswick North and headed up to the crag. It was a cold day, but the sun was in and out and it was pleasant. Having not climbed more than a handful of times since October either on rock, plastic or woody, I stuck firmly to the second end of the rope. I didn't expect much and didn't get much. The first route a 6a with a single tough move, required one rest as I wrong handed myself on a crimp and didn't have the strength to hold onto anything else to swap. The 6b required 2 rests to get past the two tricky slightly reachy moves and I couldn't get up the 6c on either attempt - I red pointed this route 2 years ago with not much bother, and on Friday I couldn't climb it at all. I just had no strength! I was going to have another go on my turn, P was looking at a 7b, and Andy was aiming to red-point the 6c, when I managed to slip off the path at the crag and fall head first down the steep slope. I came to rest fairly quickly against a fallen branch but the damage was done. I think my foot just slipped on a wet rock, but a bumped and grazed head, skinned palm, bruised knee and buttock and a puncture wound to my shin was what I got for my carelessness!
I was so mad at myself. P and I had a weekend planned up in Dumfries and Galloway mountain biking and maybe checking out the bouldering. But one look at my shin, said that I needed a proper clean up and a night in a proper bed in a warm house, not a cold night or two away in the van in freezing conditions. So that was P's birthday weekend mucked up by me!
Before that I'd been getting out for some good weekday evening runs, getting the miles in (for me) during the week, but frustratingly the long runs haven't been coming. This has been due to family weekends taking me away from the hills. I just can't run long distances on the road, boredom strikes! Monday I rode into work and back on the only frost free morning of the week. Tuesday was local speed work, with an extra warm up totalling about 6.8 miles, Wednesday I clocked 9.4 miles over the fells, although had to work a bit hard to get a respectable ascent tally for the run. I felt really good too. Thursday evening was sacrificed to the god(-dess ?) of baking, as I made two rounds of bread rolls, a honey cake and a batch of chocolate cookies for the weekend. As well as packing etc.
So with that disaster of a weekend over, my shin is sore but doesn't look infected. The other bumps and grazes are just annoyance, but my shin is going to take a few days healing before I can do anything. I'm walking with a bit of a limp, I think more due to bruising around the wound than anything else. Just have to plan how to make it up to P!!
Sunday 21 February 2010
Wednesday 10 February 2010
pastures new
Last week was again disrupted, this time by work and family things. Monday evening I got out and did two slightly varied ascents through the Miterdale woods, totaling 5.7 miles and 2500' ascent. This was nice as it wasn't open fell night-time weather and felt like I was getting a quality session in.
Tuesday was a speed session with the local club on road, which this week involved short recovery sets. I haven't actually run that fast a pace since I was in High school training on the track I reckon! This totalled about 5 miles.
Wednesday disappeared due to work commitments during the day and in the evening for once. Thursday I attempted to head up Whin Rigg but the visibility in the dark and mist was less than 5 meters, and I bottled it after leaving the shelter of the intake wall. I readjusted the run to several differing ascents up Irton fell in the woods again, being careful not to duplicate Mondays run. This totalled about 8.38 miles, with 2700' ascent.
Nothing got done at all until Sunday, when P and I left my parents early and stopped at Cannock Chase to check out the cross country mountain bike trail there. Its only 7 miles, but after two laps we were a bit bored of it. Fun for what it is, but I'm sure it would be a blue route here in the Lakes or in Scotland!! I like the swoopy singletrack through the trees but both of us found it a bit flat!!
Monday and Tuesday again had to be sacrificed to the god of work (this is a very rare event), but tonight I got out on some new fells very near to home, and even did one of them totally in the light after work!! I have run around Middlefell and Buckbarrow many times, ridden past on mountain bike and road bike and climbed at Buckbarrow too, but I had realised these are the nearest Wainrights I haven't ticked, so after work I parked up at Greendale and headed up Middlefell, ran on towards the col between Middlefell and Seatallen in fadding light, before contouring across the flanks of Seatallen towards Buckbarrow. I nearly made it to buckbarrow before having to light up, which was a lovely feeling./ the bogs were semi frozen, providing some amusement and cold feet, and after working a little in very little light to work out that I had actually summited the correct bit of Buckbarrow, I found a feint path heading back down to the road and back to the car. A wonderful run, making up for a bit of a hit and miss period. Beautiful views up to the pike and gable, still snowy!
Tuesday was a speed session with the local club on road, which this week involved short recovery sets. I haven't actually run that fast a pace since I was in High school training on the track I reckon! This totalled about 5 miles.
Wednesday disappeared due to work commitments during the day and in the evening for once. Thursday I attempted to head up Whin Rigg but the visibility in the dark and mist was less than 5 meters, and I bottled it after leaving the shelter of the intake wall. I readjusted the run to several differing ascents up Irton fell in the woods again, being careful not to duplicate Mondays run. This totalled about 8.38 miles, with 2700' ascent.
Nothing got done at all until Sunday, when P and I left my parents early and stopped at Cannock Chase to check out the cross country mountain bike trail there. Its only 7 miles, but after two laps we were a bit bored of it. Fun for what it is, but I'm sure it would be a blue route here in the Lakes or in Scotland!! I like the swoopy singletrack through the trees but both of us found it a bit flat!!
Monday and Tuesday again had to be sacrificed to the god of work (this is a very rare event), but tonight I got out on some new fells very near to home, and even did one of them totally in the light after work!! I have run around Middlefell and Buckbarrow many times, ridden past on mountain bike and road bike and climbed at Buckbarrow too, but I had realised these are the nearest Wainrights I haven't ticked, so after work I parked up at Greendale and headed up Middlefell, ran on towards the col between Middlefell and Seatallen in fadding light, before contouring across the flanks of Seatallen towards Buckbarrow. I nearly made it to buckbarrow before having to light up, which was a lovely feeling./ the bogs were semi frozen, providing some amusement and cold feet, and after working a little in very little light to work out that I had actually summited the correct bit of Buckbarrow, I found a feint path heading back down to the road and back to the car. A wonderful run, making up for a bit of a hit and miss period. Beautiful views up to the pike and gable, still snowy!
Monday 1 February 2010
Last week was a bit funny as I ended up having to look after P as his back went. He was laid up in bed for two days and then couldn't move around every well since then. So I've had all the house duties as well as keeping up with the training. Tuesday I went out with the local running club for a speed session, which got me working very hard, especially after the big run on Sunday which had left my legs feeling a little tired and unresponsive to speed. Wednesday disappeared while looking after my patient. Thursday I rode to work and back, and Friday I fitted in a very short run of 2 miles. Hardly worth it!
Saturday I had wanted to get out on Leg 1 of the BG, but fresh snow had fallen on the tops, and the fell top conditions report for Helvellyn suggetsed that fell shoes alone wouldn't be appropriate on the tops. I didn't fancy the heather bash of Great Calva and up Belncathra in big boots so picked a route in the Coledale area, based on the Coledale Horseshoe but extending it into a monster munch shape by a couple of out and backs. Totalled just over 13 miles in big boots. In hindsight it would have been OK up the these tops in fell shoes, but I was glad I had my crampons and axe with me, despite not needing them. The route went from Braithwaite, up Grizedale Pike, Hopegill Head, out to Whiteside and back, over Sand Hill, to Grasmoor, across to Crag Hill, Sail and down over Causey Pike, and back around to Braithwaite. It was stunning on top, with a light but cold wind. Really nice to be out on fells I'm not too aquainted with and some new tops to tick off.
Sunday I spent some time with my patient (!) who was up and about a bit, but nipped out in the afternoon for a run over Harter Fell. It actually turned into more of a fast walk as it was very slippy underfoot, with melting snow and quite a lot of ice. There wasn't enough of each to wear my new microspikes. If I'd been with others and not on my own, then I may have pushed it more, but being on your own off the beaten track always makes me slow a bit more. Headed up from Brotherikeld to Harter Fell, via the Grassguards bridleway, dropped down into the Duddon Valley to forest track at Birks, then back up towards Hard Knott pass, before cutting back up to the summit of Harter Fell and back down the way I came up. 7 miles.
Saturday I had wanted to get out on Leg 1 of the BG, but fresh snow had fallen on the tops, and the fell top conditions report for Helvellyn suggetsed that fell shoes alone wouldn't be appropriate on the tops. I didn't fancy the heather bash of Great Calva and up Belncathra in big boots so picked a route in the Coledale area, based on the Coledale Horseshoe but extending it into a monster munch shape by a couple of out and backs. Totalled just over 13 miles in big boots. In hindsight it would have been OK up the these tops in fell shoes, but I was glad I had my crampons and axe with me, despite not needing them. The route went from Braithwaite, up Grizedale Pike, Hopegill Head, out to Whiteside and back, over Sand Hill, to Grasmoor, across to Crag Hill, Sail and down over Causey Pike, and back around to Braithwaite. It was stunning on top, with a light but cold wind. Really nice to be out on fells I'm not too aquainted with and some new tops to tick off.
Sunday I spent some time with my patient (!) who was up and about a bit, but nipped out in the afternoon for a run over Harter Fell. It actually turned into more of a fast walk as it was very slippy underfoot, with melting snow and quite a lot of ice. There wasn't enough of each to wear my new microspikes. If I'd been with others and not on my own, then I may have pushed it more, but being on your own off the beaten track always makes me slow a bit more. Headed up from Brotherikeld to Harter Fell, via the Grassguards bridleway, dropped down into the Duddon Valley to forest track at Birks, then back up towards Hard Knott pass, before cutting back up to the summit of Harter Fell and back down the way I came up. 7 miles.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)