Lightning descent

P dropped me off on the way home from work yesterday, so I could run back just for variation. The weather had been poor during the day, and I set off in heavy rain, but this soon stopped as I ran up through Bleng forest. Surprised a deer up near the top of the forest but it didn't seem to bothered by me, finding the shelter of the trees but not running away. I descended back down to valley level and ran across Wasdale valley to Nether Wasdale. My original plan for poor weather had been to head over Irton Fell via the bridleway and drop down to Miterdale through the forest, but the weather seemed to have cleared with blue sky showing above Whin Rigg. This was too good to miss so I changed route slightly, and ran across to the  path up the side of the Screes, used by the Wasdale race and the Screes race.

As I was climbing up the steep hillside I was aware of dark clouds amassing over the sea, and was quite surprised to hear thunder rumbling in the distance. The thunder got louder and more frequent and all of a sudden the blue sky disappeared. Whin Rigg was not going to be on. Instead of cutting the corner to the top, I carried striaght on to the main path, and was greeted by a lightening show over Ulpha fell. Somewhat put out that I was on the open fell, with lightening arriving, I pegged it down the ridge, probably faster than in the Screes race, to find the shelter of the trees. Just as I got into the trees, the hail started, and by the time I got home I was incredibly wet.

Still a good run of 12 miles and about 3000 feet of ascent.

Leg 2 Recce

As I said, I thought I'd over done it a bit at St Bees and woke up on Sunday morning with a very tired body, especially torso and arms, I had stiff and sore biceps for gods sake!! so I knew the big run today would be a bit of a battle. To top that off I also knew it would be windy, or very windy on the tops. Still, drove around to Thelkeld and headed off up Clough Head in a strong westerly. This was a constant companion all the way along the ridge and was very strong in places. The cloud sat at about 750m but wasn't too thick, and the remenants of the snow and ice caused little problem. I was nearly reduced to crawling at one point up to Low Man, as the gusts were threatening to take me off my feet. Much happier with the route along the tops. I haven't looked at my splits yet but they weren't far off the mark, and I really did feel battered right from the start.

As the wind was so strong and the rain/sleet/snow arrived as I neared the top of Seat Sandal, I decided to head back to Threlkeld via the valley like last year. Managed a better route avoiding some of the main road and was much stronger than last year, when I struggled to run towards the end of the day. Yesterday I felt battered but kept up a very steady pace back along the valley into the wind. Discussed last night whether the days bouldering was me finding an excuse for feeling tired when actually I am just not fit enough, but was told that almost certainly the bouldering had taken a lot more out of me than I give it credit for! I hope so....

St Bees Bouldering

Saturday stayed cloudy in the fells so we grabbed what sunshine we could at St Bees. It was actually very pleasant down by the sea, although a bit damp early on. Things dried off and I had a good day. Felt very weak but managed to tick problems that I normally struggle on even when a lot stronger and did them without too much grunting and slapping. Unfortunately I did over do it though in terms of being fresh for Sundays big run.

Sale Fell Sprint

Last night was the third WCOC Warrior Series race at Sale Fell, near Wythop Mill. Never done this one before, and had been warned it was a runners course! Have been having an easy week, 4.5 miles on Tuesday and 4 miles Wednesday, so thought the legs might feel a bit more up for a sprint. But...no. The wind has disappeared from my sails this week. Felt pretty bad warming up, and set off too fast as usual, but on reflection actually ran pretty well, getting 2nd lady behind a lass half my age! The two lap course was 5 miles in total and finished in 45 minutes, which wasn't too bad.

Time to start planning for the next three big weeks, and finish the planning for the big day itself!

On me bike

This coming week is definitely an easy week! An easy week which includes getting back on my bike. Rode into work and back today, 23 miles. Legs felt tired but strong even with a blowy head wind on the way home. Totted up the totals for last week - 60 miles running with 14600 feet of ascent. That'll be why the legs are tired then.

Had a truncated days bouldering yesterday when drizzle stopped play earlier than expected. Finished off on the Woody in the garage. Feeling very weak in the arms!

Middlefell Fell Race

Having already clocked something like 50 plus running miles and 8 walking miles this week, I still fancied racing at Middlefell yesterday. Its a local race that I haven't done before and I've only been up the fell once and that was earlier this year! So after a miserable wet morning, I donned full waterproofs for a trog over the hill to Nether Wasdale, but just as I was leaving the rain stopped and as I climbed up over Irton fell the clouds broke and the sun came out! Unfortunately I hadn't packed a vest or shorts so it was going to be a warm run!!

Took it very steady over the fell, and had time to chat before the race. Checked out the race route and it was as I thought - flat out and back across the valley, with a nice climb and descent in the middle. Oh well, tired legs would mean a painful finish! Felt really quite strong despite feeling tired and even managed to pick off a couple of places on the climb which is very unusual for me! Held onto my place on the descent too - local knowledge providing the edge on that one! The undercarriage definitely fell off on the return across the valley, but I dug in knowing that next week is an easy week and I'd already arranged a lift home with bribary of tea, honey cake and a shower! And despite the weeks mileage and ascent totals I finished second lady!

Flat Fell Flounder

After a 'rest' day on Wednesday, just walked four miles to work and back, it was the second race in the Warrior Series yesterday afternoon. It was a mighty shock to the system as it was near gale force winds and lashing rain after all this bright dry and cold weather we have had. The summit of Dent was enveloped in a thick clag with driving rain. One of times where you are happy when its all over and get a nice internal glow for having been out in horrible conditions! Felt a lot stronger than last week's race, and although numbers were down, think I did OK. Tend to do better when conditions are foul!

Kentmere

Spotted that the weather was finally going to break properly this week, so scrambled my last day off on Tuesday. The forecast had it being cloudy to start but soon clearing. Well is was thick mist from valley level until about 12:30, after which a rapid clearing did happen and the sun came out! I headed over to Staveley, and parked up by Wilfs (for that all important post-trot feed!) and headed out on an extended Kentmere Round:

Shipman Knotts
Kentmere Pike
Harter Fell
Mardale Ill Bell
High Street
Thornthwaite Crag
Stoney Cove Pike
Thornthwaite Crag (again!)
Froswick
Ill Bell
Yoke
Sallows
Sour Howes

and back to Staveley! 24.5 miles and about 6000 feet. All two days after the Edale Skyline! The first half to Thornthwaite Crag (1st time) was in thick mist from the car park. after which the sun came out and it was lovely and warm. Felt strong and happy all the way. Food and drink all done well. Only downer was the soft snow on the higher fells, deep and soft! In fact it was quite surreal on Kentmere Pike in about 30 meters visibility, snow and ice on the ground and a cold westerly blowing to hear meadow pipits singing, a sound I always associate with warm summer days in the fields around home when I was a kid!

Edale Skyline

After a days climbing on saturday at Rubicon, (mostly being belay bunny!), I headed out for a run around the Edale Skyline race route with a mate (21 miles, 4500 feet). He's racing next weekend and when I suggested I wanted a good day out trotting around this, he decided he'd join me. We had fair weather, mainly cloudy with a strong northerly wind, but it wasn't too bad on top. We made good time for a gentle trot around, Brown Knoll was evil as ever with the headwind and bogs, and we looked at a few race lines towards the end along Kinder. The snow or what was left of it was slow going as it was rotten and melting, but there was still enough to not avoid it altogether. It should have all melted by the race day.

Got round in 4 hours 26 mins, without any hard work. One day I'll have to race this and see what I can produce in a competative mind! Definitely a good day out.

Leaps Lowp

Thursday saw the first of the WCOC Warrior fell series -  6 weekday evening fell races held around west Cumbria. Despite the tired legs and long slow mileage I headed over to Leaps for the first in the series: up Godworth, Low Pen and Knock Murton. Started fast as that was the only way I could hope to do OK, but the mileage and ascent soon made themselves known, and after reaching Godworth in first place, I dropped to second after Low Pen and third before the top of Knock Murton! Still happy to get round in a reasonable time, felt pretty shattered after. Far to fast and furious for me! A good speed session.

Old Crown Round

With the weather looking stable and leave that needs taking I'd booked Monday off for a big day out. A friend suggested the Old Crown Round in the northern lakes as a good trip, so early on Monday I drove up to Heskett Newmarket for the OCR. Of the 10 summits, 8 were new to me. Blencathra and Skiddaw have been ticked many times since I was a lass, and I've only ever been to Carrock to boulder not to touch the cairn. It was another beautiful day (it'll be a shock when it rains again!). It was chilly to start with, but warmed up at lower levels during the day.

The snow was mixed underfoot, in places patchy, in others a good deep covering, sometimes hard and crusty in others soft and sugary. It was also very quiet on the hills and I saw few people away from the summits of Blencathra and Skiddaw. I got my food and water fairly spot on and felt strong all the way around. I didn't push it as I knew I was still tired from the last week and racing at Black Combe, but made steady progress all the way around. A fantastic day out. Made it 25.4 miles with over 8500 feet of ascent. That'll do nicely!

Scout Scar

After the exertions of the previous week and the plan for Monday, I definitely didn't want to use my legs on Sunday, so P persuaded me to head to Scout Scar near Kendal for some slimestone sport. Originally we had thought of heading to Malham for the day but I was feeling pretty jaded and P had had a hard days bouldering and checking out bolts at St Bees the day before and didn't fancy the 2 plus hour drive to flail around feeling tired. Scout Scar is a little closer.

It was very cold when we got there as the crag faces west, but the sun cam round eventually. I wish I could say the same about my climbign which has gone from bad to worse. I took 3 attempts to get up a 6a+! And even then didn't manage it clean despite several laps. Everything felt wrong, my body had fogotten how to move on rock, and I felt tired physically and mentally. It was another wake up call. I promised myself I'd get on the woody at home one day a week but that hasn't happened so far! P ticked his first 7a of the year! Happy boy.

Black Combe

Saturday was the Black Combe Fell Race, a particular local favourite, although I have never felt I run well in it, I always enjoy it. After a rest day on Wednesday, I headed over the BC on Thursday evening for a trot up to the summit. I was a bit put back by how tired my legs felt on the ascent but it was another lovely evening and there was a beautiful sunset (photo to follow). Once reaching the summit, I crossed to the second summit and then back down the race descent route. There was still a fair bit of patchy snow, which was quite hard in places but mostly avoidable if needed.

This left me feeling a bit aprehensive for Saturday as my legs really did feel tired. But it was a beautiful warm day in the southern lakes. The turn out was reasonable and I had a good race. Managed a pb by 6 minutes, and was 4th Lady. Its my best go at this race yet, on a week that cumlinated in over 40 miles with over 12000 feet of ascent, so I have to be happy! I even got a slight tan line on my arms from the race!

Back on track.....again!

Since last monday, my shin has healed well. It was very sore still on Monday and Tuesday, but I walked to work and back on the Tuesday, having limped my way around on Monday. The four miles did it some good I think, got the blood flowing and the healing began. Most of the pain was in the bruising which obviously went down to the bone. I did a good hour and half of Yoga on Tuesday night, taking advantage of the time normally spent running. On Wednesday I hopped onto the Balance Ball in the evening and had some fun while one eye was on the Winter Olympics. I definitely need to do more balance and core work!

By Thursday I wanted to test the leg out and went for a short 3 mile run on the tracks round home. It was quite depressing. I couldn't get going and my leg hurt with each foot fall, so I think it ranks of one of my slowest ever short runs! Even slower than when I got going again after the post viral fatigue a few years ago.

Friday I hopped on the bike and rode to work. Now this was much better, however, as I'm riding my summer bike which is pretty stiff, coupled the damaged tarmac on the roads round here meant that every bump and rut went straight through the pedal to my leg!

I did ignore this and hoped that riding my full suss. at Whinlatter on Saturday would fare much better. I turned out to be a big woose and wouldn't ride anything remotely hard, but we had a good ride out doing a lap of the Blue route, then the south red loop, then the blue route again. It was pretty snowy in places but at least that meant I could concentrate on riding well in the deep snow, instead of stressing about how slow and unfit I felt! By the end of the ride I felt much happier on the bike in the snow, and just wished I wasn't nursing the bad leg.

On Sunday, P headed to the Fisherground for an afternoon's bouldering while I went up onto the local fells for a run, to test the leg out again. I did a steady 6 and a bit over Fell End, White moss, to the Stone Circles, back past Blea Tarn and the Fisherground. It was pretty wet and boggy and therefore soft underfoot, just what I needed! But the leg held up fine, it was a bit uncomfortable on the downhills but otherwise fine.

After a couple of short runs before and after work on Monday I was planning a longer run in the evening but spotted the weather forecast had changed and decided to have Tuesday off on the fells. I wanted to get up high but not knowing exactly what the snow conditions were like, I was more keen to get a long run in anywhere than risk going high and having the run cut short. So I plotted a route from Borrowdale to pick off 10 new Wainwrights that I have not done, and that kept me fairly low and therefore more likely conditions would be good for running.

I set off from Great Wood and headed up to Walla Crag, in beautiful blue skies. The views the whole day were stunning and it was a lovely day to be out. I did have a small regret not to be higher, the Hellvelyn ridge looked stunning in the snow, but I got a good run, and felt OK. Total mileage was 20.5 miles with 5000 feet of ascent. I ran out of water fairly early - good that I drank it all instead of just carrying it around with me but bad that I didn't have enough with me, and I didn't get enough energy in again! I must work on this asap.

Today has been a 'rest' day with a walk to work and back of 4 miles. I thought about going for a short run, but the ligament at the back of my left knee is tight, so a days rest before a long-ish run tomorrow, and I have Black Combe race on Saturday.