Chapel Head Scar

August Bank Holiday Monday - where to go to get away from the crowds? Where best than the sleepy backwater but awesome limestone crag Chapel Head Scar. It was a fairly short lived session as we were both a bit battered from yesterday's climbing and certainly I was really struggling having done very little harder climbing for a long time. Still it was a great day working a 6c, close but no cigar as they say!

Back to Trad.

After having the in-laws up for a few days and an easy walk around the fields and headland of St Bees, P and I decided to get out trad. climbing again, by not leaving the valley. We wondered up to Bell Stand, and had a good day ticking off routes. I cannot remember the last time I led anything on trad. so wasn’t expecting much at all, but hopped on the VS Plumbline and wondered up it with out any dramas. I have done it a couple of times before but it felt very easy this time. I very pleasantly surprised. P had a go at one of the E5’s which spat him off a couple of times. The rock seemed very slippy. Having had a real love hate relationship with trad. climbing I think I'm back in love with it.

Whin Rigg & Muncaster

Two back to back fell runs on the local fells. The run up Whin Rigg was not enjoyable. I felt tired and my legs just didn’t seem to want to work, so ended up walking some of the ascent. It was a long time since I last did that. Next day’s run over Muncaster was much better and I managed under 30 minutes for the first time to the trig. I wasn’t going for it either as this is a run I tend to use as a steady tempo run. After the previous nights horror show up Whin Rigg it was a well needed boost. 

10 miles on the road!

A very busy weekend in the flat hill-less county of Warwickshire meant that I had to go out on the roads for a run. Set out in the only spare time I had in the weekend for a 10 miler on the roads, canal tow paths and river banks of Warwick. Actually I really enjoyed it despite it being my first proper road run in a long long time…! Maybe Gosforth 10k won’t be as bad as I’m expecting!!

Dent Mtb

Tuesday evening headed out with some mates for a ride around the Dent area. Not been around these parts on a bike before and have been keen for ages to check them out. Fortune smiled on us and after a wet day the sun came out for a lovely dry evening, with really clear air. Took the forerunner gps to keep a record of where we went. Some really good riding hidden away in this little backwater, although the rooty descent was not one of my favs!

Crinkle Crags & Bowfell

Walked from 3 Shire Stones to Cold Pike Crinkle Crags, Bowfell and return. Another warm sunny day, but strangely quiet on the tops. Bowfell summit was mobbed with flying ants making it a very unpleasant place to have lunch, so I grabbed a bite to eat just down from the summit.  Had a look at the Langdale race line from Crinkles back towards Pike O’Blisco, just in case…

Wrynose and Hard Knott to finish

P and I got out for a long road ride in lovely warm weather. Route: Birker Fell, Duddon Valley, Broughton Mills, Woodland, Subberthwaite Common, Grizedale, Hawkshead, Langdale, Little Langdale, Wrynose and Hard Knott. Some new lanes and some well known lanes. Stopped at Grizedale for a well earned burger and chips on the way round. 

Day after Borrowdale Bike Ride

P had originally planned to ride with me for this low key sportive the next day, but sore knees meant he was staying off his bike. As I couldn’t climb because of my foot/toe pain, I decided to still ride it. Last time I rode anything like this was the ManchesTour during the Commonwealth Games in Manchester, and that was a bigger event. It took me a while to get myself going, but I registered early to stop myself from chickening out.

People were being set off at 2 minute intervals and there was a drive to get teams of 4, so there were only a few of us riding on our own. The route took us from Rosthwaite, down the valley towards Grange, along the side of Catbells and round to Stair, then Braithwaite, over Whinlatter, through Lorton and up Buttermere to Honister Pass, down to Rosthwaite, back along the same route to Stair, but then a left turn instead of a right and up and over Newlands, along Buttermere again over Honister again and finish in Rosthwaite.

It was a fantastic route and I really enjoyed it. I didn’t attack it but rode round keeping the tempo steady, not letting myself slow down to a dawdle. It was amazing to see some of the Honsiter 92 and Keswick Bikes teams fly past on the hills. I hadn’t ridden any of these passes from these sides so it was a little daunting. The first time up Honister hurt more than the second time, Newlands has a nasty kick near the top which would have been good to know about!, and the descent off Honsiter to Borrowdale can heat your rims up if you take it too cautiously!!

The fastest time registered was just over 2 hours. I wanted to finish in under 3 ½ hours and came in in 3:27, so was happy with that, picking up fastest lady.

Borrowdale Fell Race

I last ran this race two years ago in fair conditions. I had no real race plan this year, I hadn’t managed to recce any of the route, and felt a bit sluggish in the morning. The weather was not as bad as Wasdale but the clag was down and it rained a bit during the race. It was warm though which makes all the difference.

I somehow didn’t get away in the front of the field despite trying to get myself positioned to do so, and so on the first turn after the bridge onto the bridleway came to an abrupt stop and it was a very slow walk for the next few 100 metres, after that my frustration levels rose and I worked fairly hard to get past people before Stonethwaite. I felt good and steady as we headed through the farm and along the flanks of Bessy Boot, but as the steep climb started it felt like the wheels started to come off. As this is the first climb I didn’t get too worried, just kept my head down and worked at a steady rate to the summit. This was in the cloud, and the bit I know least well is from here to Esk Hause, so I made a bit effort to keep in touch with the runners ahead. This worked fine until we wondered a bit too low near Glaramara. Just as I started thinking we’re too low I looked up and saw a long line of runners about 100m above us! This lost us a bit of time as I watched people I knew get past me.

I think at this point the fight went out of me a bit, and I just trogged along to Esk Hause, relieved to get the part of the route I don’t know out the way, luckily after Esk Hause I’m happy with the route all the way, even in thick mist. The climb up to the Pike went fine and I hit the descent scree off to the Corridor Route with great precision!! The scree is always warned about and talked of in almost hushed tones, but I have never found it that bad (and I hate scree!). Coming down it this year did mean two cuts to the hand when I slipped but I count that as minor!

I’d managed to skin my leg on a boulder on the Pike and coming down alongside the Corridor Route I found one of the large hidden holes in the grass and skinned my shin again. This hurt incredibly but I couldn’t work out why, as there was little blood. Later I found I’d managed to rip the scar tissue off from where I punctured my shin back in February so that was why it hurt so much!

I caught up an old club mate on the run across Sty Head who was bemoaning the rockiness of the Lakeland races!! I can sympathise as I felt the same when I first moved up here from the Peak, but a few months and you get used to it. I tried to consol him as I’m now pathetic running across peat bogs! On the climb up Gable I finally found my rhythm, and made up a fair number of paces. I guess this is where all the BG training does count. I kept the pace going off Gable and across to Honister, picking people off as I went. I didn’t follow the prime race line as I’m not overly confident in the mist but the BG route (slightly amended) serves very well and also meant I didn’t go wondering like some.

The climb up Dale Head is horrible and never seems to improve. At least I was quicker than in my BG, but it still hurt. I passed a few but was also passed by a few, as it really had started to hurt more by this point, and the final descent of Dale Head finished my legs off completely. It was frustrating as I didn’t feel that tired but I just had nothing in the legs to descend. I was passed by a lass on the final part of the descent that I had last seen ahead of me before the Pike, which was really frustrating, and I couldn’t stay with her to the finish. Finished 7^th lass overall, like last time but knocked 12 minutes of my previous time. To be honest I was a bit disappointed with the time, as I had hoped to go faster, but a lack of longs runs since my BG probably has something to do with it!

Kentmere Mtb

Sunday morning we drove over to Staveley and after managing to only spend a small amount of money in Wheelbase, and narrowly missing a close encounter with Wilfs before setting off, we went for a mountain bike ride up Kentmere, over to Longsleddale, up and over Gatesgarth to Haweswater and then up and over Nan Bield Pass back to Kentmere and then back to Staveley. What a shock to be riding in the dry and staying dry all day. A great ride which I worked out I last did over 6 years ago on a fully rigid mountain bike – oh how things have changed!! I’m not sure the full sus made the carry more pleasurable as my old bike was easy and light to sling over your shoulder. The cruz is a little heavier and much harder to carry – I did manage to perfect a position where the top tube rested between my camelback and me so the shoulder straps took a lot of the weight.

Because of our faffing at the start of the day we got back after Wilf’s had closed!! 

Lingmell Dash

A week last Saturday was the Lingmell Dash race, another local race that was on my list of 'not done yet's'. Its a fundraiser for the local MRT team, and a few of the team were racing. The weather in the morning was cloudy but dry but as soon as I stepped out the door to go round to Wasdale Head the drizzle arrived. This got heavier as I drove round, and the cloud base was about 200m. Still, not much navigation required to get to the top of Lingmell and back.

It's a great little race this, although I'm not so sure its a 'dash'!

To be honest I just didn't get going. My legs felt heavy and unresponsive and I just couldn't get any speed up. So it was more of a plod up and a trot down. Came in nearly 5 minutes down on Lucy, who won. Should have been able to give her more of a challenge. But I enjoyed it despite the lack of energy. A few did manage to go wondering and the rain kept falling.