Coledale Horseshoe

Having broken up for the holidays, P and I got out on the fells today again in big boots to walk round the Coledale Horseshoe. New fells for P. Set off from Braithwaite, up Grisedale Pike, over to Hopegill Head, Sand Hill, and down to Coledale Hause, up Crag Hill, over Sail, Outerside, Barrow and back to the car. A few people were out on the fells. The snow was thin and icy in places.

Hopegill Head from Grisedale Pike

Skiddaw and Blencathra

A frozen Derwentwater

Less is more

In the last week of so, I've tried to start to make a change to the way I approach my running. I've spent the last two winters doing reasonably high mileage, as big days out. All long days, at a slow pace. While this has been great and got me fit enough for my BG, it isn't helping me in races. So I've been trying to get into my head that less is more. my runs need to be about quality not quantity. This has coinsided with the approach of Christmas (time seems to disappear in socialising and shopping!), very dark nights, snow and ice, and also P wanting to do a bit of running too.

In 5 days I've run only 22 miles (see there I go again), but two of these were structured interval sessions - mile reps and hill reps, one was a tempo fell run and another was a steady road run. Also riden to work and back on a dry non-icy day! Question is can i keep this up and not revert to thinking long is good!

Legs and arms

This morning was a steady run in the valley on footpaths and bridleways, avoiding what is left of the ice. A shade under 10 miles, which with hindsight was a little too far as a recovery run after yesterdays race. Still a beautiful morning. That exercised the legs. In the afternoon, P and I popped over the the Fisherground to exercise the arms and shoulders. I've been working a problem near the Diamond, that gets V6, and every time I visit it, I get a little bit further. However, its close but no cigar at the moment...

Cumbria AA County XC Championships - Fitz Park, Keswick

For a while now I'd wanted to do another XC race - I used to do a few when we lived in the Peak, and really loved the burn of a the fast tough short race. So when I realised I was available for this race, and could also combine it with Christmas shopping in Keswick, the plan was made. As I've done very few short races in the last months, I wasn't expecting too much. I had also drunk a little too much wine at my works Christmas do the night before. Therefore I woke up feeling slightly fragile.

The race itself was painful - as it should be. I'd woken my legs up enough to run really well for 1 and a half laps but the second one and a half laps were best forgotten. As I'd gone off reasonably fast, I'd settled into 4th overall, and 3rd senior lady, but as the pace started to hurt, Catherine who runs for Keswick started closing on me, and unlike fell races where you really have to make an effort to see where the competition is behind you, I could see at every turn in the course that she was slowly winding me in. I dug deep on the last lap saving something for the final few hundred metres and managed to hold her off.

As this was the county championship race it was a real shame to not see more people running. It wasn't the best of fields. I can understand that with the call of the fells so close, XC doesn't have the pull to get all fell runners to race, but its a great laugh and anything that can make you feel that sick in such a short distance has to be good!

More snow, more forest runs

Have been getting out in the evenings in the snow and ice in the forest. Its been too cold to contemplate running on the high fells on my own in the dark, and I've been happy to do more speed work in the snow low down. Also, having recently picked up yoga again at a local class, the dark and cold has been an added incentive to really improve this aspect of my fitness - I can already see the benefits in both mood and flexibility!

Scafell via Great Moss and Foxes Gully

P and I drove up the valley to the bottom of Hardknott to head up to Scafell. Nothing except 4x4's from the farms had been this far up the valley, and we had to dig out our own parking space near Brotherilkeld! With big boots it was a hard slog up the valley through the snow, and we broke trail most of the way, only seeing footprints in the valley as far as Lingcove Bridge. From then on we truly broke trail. There was a thin crust on the foot deep snow, which made it slow going, but as we climbed up away from a frozen Great Moss, the crust hadn't formed and it was just powder.

Bowfell from Brotherilkeld

Foxes Gully was a real swim, and I let P do the hard work at the front! It was thigh deep in places. The views were stunning as always and we met the only people we saw all day -  a couple doing the same route as us in the opposite direction! After a quick lunch of lentil soup we loped down past Slightside, and across the semi-frozen bogs to Scale Bridge and back to the car. My feet were not my best friends by the end as previous injuries mean that my mountaineering boots really hurt after a few miles! Still a fantastic and stunningly quiet day out.

Looking towards Pillar, Kirkfell, and Grasmoor in the distance

Miterdale Snow

With all the snow around, and no Tankys, we decided to stay put this weekend. Got out today for a run in the snowy forest. Ran up the bridleway to the top of the woods and then had real fun letting loose running down the snow covered tracks that zig-zag there way back down. Not far and not fast but fun!

No Tanky's

Well it was not meant to be - Mother Nature obviously had other ideas. The race was cancelled earlier this week. An obvious decision by the looks of things as I think all three mains roads which the route crosses are still impassable. I was toying with the idea of a trog anyway with a few other 'likemindeds' but the extra faff of the drive to the peak in the first place and getting to Marsden etc. just seems a wee bit stupid, especially as we have our own snow clad hills to get out on. Its a shame as I was ready for it, if not as fit as I hoped to be. Next year....

Not managed much this week, the snow we had became pretty icy, pretty quickly. Awaiting my orocs, but hopefully will get out for a play this weekend!