Grit....

Had a relatively quiet week with a couple of runs and commuting on the bike. We headed down to the Peak to stay with friends for the weekend for a couple of days on the Grit – to bring back memories! On the Saturday we all headed to the Roaches and had a great day mainly in the Skyline area, P ticked an E4, I managed a couple of easy leads and we saw a great plummet off an E4 – luckily he was absolutely fine and went on to get the second ascent of the route (yes at E4..!). Ali also made a couple of necky ascents so despite not climbing much at the moment her head is as good as ever!

On Sunday, P and Ali headed to Bamford while Si and I went out for a run over Chinley Churn and Mount Famine, bringing back memories of peak district running! I was exhausted by the end of the run, as Si is a hell of a lot fitter than I am! We then drove over to Bamford too, and met up, getting 4 routes in before the end of the day, and our drive back home. We resisted the temptation of spinach and chickpea curry at the Globe in Glossop, and a swing past our old house.

Summer.... what summer?

This weekend was my birthday weekend and what a wet one it was!! We had friends come to stay and despite plans for climbing, running or walking we didn’t really manage much of any. We took the climbing kit for a drive and walk down to St Bees, but frequent showers meant everything was too wet. We rescued to day with a damp run in the valley, taking into account people’s damaged knees and backs! P cooked up a lovely vegetarian feast for us all on Saturday night which was washed down with some very fine Corsican Rose and Cap Corse Liqueur.

On Sunday, it rained – again. I got a call from friends who were up in the Staveley area for the afternoon, so we arranged a Wilf’s café stop for afternoon tea. Before hand we went for a lovely walk in Kentmere, timing it to perfection as it stopped raining for us! Wilf’s duly provided fantastic post walk fodder and we caught up with friends, one who was imminently off on a 6 week off road bike ride across Mongolia!! 

Bodyfit 5k – too fast too soon?

The effects of Lingmell Nose were felt well into the next week, but I fancied trying the new course for the Bodyfit 5k near Cockermouth on Wednesday. I went for a walk on Monday evening after work which turned into a slow 6 mile jog on sore legs... oops! On Tuesday evening we headed to St Bees for a spot of bouldering in glorious sunshine.

I set myself the deadline of Wednesday morning to be able to walk up and down stairs without wincing and with a bit of effort succeeded, so that was that, time for something completely different!

I last ran a 5k race back in 2005, so not a speciality. I did do a fair warm up well it was more like a reminder for my legs how to run slightly fast session. The course was hilly for a 5k, almost all downhill or flat to start and then mostly uphill to finish. I set off fast as always and as it was only 5k just tried to hang on. It hurt like hell, and was not the most pleasant thing I have done recently. I finished 5^th Lady in 20:39, about half a minute outside my PB from 6 years ago. I was mildly disappointed with my time until P pointed out that I had just run Wasdale 4 days previously, and do no training what so ever for a fast run like this, so…..

Wasdale Fell Race 2011

Yesterday saw the annual joy that is the Wasdale Fell Race. I love it. I have never run as fast as I want to, as for some reason I never feel fit at this point in the year – maybe I need to re-examine that – but I always enjoy it – be it the clag and wind and rain of last year or the benign conditions of this year!

I had felt disrupted in my running in the previous few weeks with the Three Peaks Yacht Race calamity and Duddon DNF, so I decided to concentrate of just finishing. I told myself I didn’t care what time I did or where I came (although secretly I did mind!) and came up with a game plan of steady does it.

It was a warm day with some cloud around but it wasn’t threatening and the forecast was OK. I did make an effort to do some warm up and drills, to try and get my hips moving well. This is always hard to do before a long race, but the first climb is fairly tough on Wasdale and so it does make sense to be warmed up and ready.

At 11am we were off, and after an initial surge as is my want, I settled down to a very steady pace. Hazel came past me on the first climb up the corpse road, and I resisted the temptation to stick with her. I held my steady pace, and let others come past me – but it was really hard to hold to my plan! The top of Ill-Gill Head was in the clag, and for once the lead runners got a good line as the pack followed in true snake-like mode. At the top of the climb, I started to go past a few people, despite not feeling like I was speeding up, and then passed a few more on the descent to Greendale, after the first checkpoint on Whin Rigg. I think I was about 7^th Lady over Whin Rigg. I have to admit here to a bit of increased speed as I know the descent to the valley and love it so I guess its not a surprise that I passed a few.

The run across the valley is always harder than I remember as it’s not flat and it’s longer that you anticipate, still I pulled another few places on the way to Joss’s. It was then another steady climb up to Seatallan, taking my time, and actually enjoying it! I was shadowed by another lady on the climb up, and she over took me as we rounded the summit of Seatallan, and pulled away slightly down to Pots of Ashness.

About half way along the leg between Pots and the Scoat Fell Col, my speed seemed to increase compared with my fellow runners, or did they slow? Anyway I reeled in the lass in front of me and then another one passing Black Crag, and arrived at Pillar in 4^th place. I was running with my club mate Bill at this point and we snaked our way down off Pillar - a route we both know very well.

Approaching Kirkfell and Black Sail Pass, I realised my calf was showing signs of wanting to cramp, so I took on board some electrolyte at this point and with some careful running and a bit of energy too, it seemed to ware off by the time I approached Beck Head. As I started to climb up Gable, I spotted to lasses in front of me and realised they were 3^rd and 2^nd ladies, so I dug deep, with some effusive encouragement from a friend who was out supporting here, overtaking 3^rd near the bottom and finally catching 2^nd as we went over the top. Both looked tired!! Great!

I’d been recceing a good quick descent line off Gable to Sty Head Pass and it easily gave me significant distance on the lasses I’d past and I made ground on runners ahead. Taking on more food and water, I got my head down and for the first time managed to run quite a bit of the route from Sty Head to Esk Hause and onto the tops, still passing the odd runner. I have to say I felt really quite strong at this point! Onwards and over the lumps and bumps of Broad Crag and Ill Crag to the final summit of the Pike, which was slightly in the mist, and the off on the fun descent of Lingmell Nose. As always my legs felt the descent and I ended up breaking too much – I must loosen up!

I finished in a new PB of 5 hours 25 minutes, not a blinding time but considering the purposefully slow start I made, and the fact it was a pb, I’m happy and I was also 2^nd Lady!! Not bad for an easy steady start.

Lost - one climbing mojo

We were down at St Bees again last night in glorious sunshine, until a rapidly approaching front arrived. We timed it well, and had just got to the cliff top as the first rain drops fell. As much as I love being down at St Bees – it is a magical place -  it seems to be exposing a loss of climbing mojo at the moment. Not a physical loss but a mental loss. I knew that I was tired, as I’d ridden into work and back again yesterday so that had been 8 days without a rest day, but I just felt all out of sorts mentally as I had sort of done on Friday and Sunday, not being able to hold it together and concentrate when the climbing was hard even when seconding. I also had a "lovely" fall yesterday which swung me across the rock - cheese gratering my arm and leg – nice!

But its time for a rest before Wasdale and maybe a re-focussing of things coming up. Maybe the mojo will return of its own accord.

Rest, Recovery and Re-start

After the adventures of the weekend, we took a day to recover properly, and had a very lazy day pottering around at home, sorting a few things out, and generally relaxing. But then we realised we still had nearly a week before we had to go back to work and the forecast for the Lakes looked great. So a staycation was on the cards! We managed to pack a fair bit into our home holiday and living where we do I could well do it all again – given a good forecast…

On Tuesday we headed out on the fells for a run. It took a while before either of us felt actually like running so it was a slow start from Wasdale Head, up to Beck Head hugging the stream on the ascent, then basically following the Wasdale route to Brackenclose, over Great Gable, Styhead, Esk Hause, Scafell Pike, Lingmell nose and down. Not that I need to recce that part of the race route…It was beautiful clear day, warm and only a slight breeze which made a change from recent weather.

Wednesday morning we picked up our road bikes from a friends house in Whitehaven who’d been due to take them to the harbour for the race, and then drove around to Loweswater for a ride down Buttermere, over Honister, down Borrowdale to Keswick where we treated ourselves to a late lunch in the Lakeland Pedlar, then back over Whinlatter Pass to Loweswater. About 2 and a half hours riding, again in lovely conditions.

After a drizzly morning and a bit of retail therapy in Ambleside, we met up with a mate at Langdale Boulders for a solid afternoon bouldering. Didn’t feel much like a climber, but managed all the problems I can normally do and ticked one I’d never done before. Also had some half-hearted attempts at The Pocket and others, but to be honest they are too hard for me!

Friday was another stunning day and we headed to St Bees to do routes. It was beautiful down at Scabby Back, and I think we may have done more sun-bathing and chilling than climbing in the end.

During the week I’d had a text from an old climbing friend from Manchester who was attempting his BG on Saturday, and he’d found out about our adventure in the Menai straights, and therefore wondered if I was around for a bit of support on Saturday. Luckily Leg 4 was where he was lightest in fell support, so I rested up on Saturday morning and headed around to Wasdale at 2pm. It was all go at Brackenclose with the MRT dealing with two incidents needing helicopter assistance, some 3 Peakers around and other BG support as well as the gathering support for Nicky Spinks’s women’s record attempt on the 24 summit record.

Andy and his two supporters, Andy S and Chad, dropped into Wasdale off Scafell 20 minutes up on a 23 hour schedule and after a 20 minute stop we were off up Yewbarrow. Rick and I were in support. Rick had done his BG back in 2009. Andy was going just fine and was in fine fettle on most of the leg, picking up a few minutes on each split until Kirkfell and Great Gable, where he had a bit of a downer but once more chocolate had been fed into him, he was away again, and even ran the last part of the ascent to Green Gable (not far I know but takes some effort after all that has gone before!).

It was an amazing afternoon to be out on the fells, although there was some haze in the distance, the views were stupendous. It struck me as it already has done many times before how lucky I am to live in this area, and have all this on my doorstep!

Nearly 40 minutes up on schedule we dropped into Honsiter Hause and Andy’s girlfriend Claudia was waiting with pepperoni pizza – I think I ate more of it that Andy – sorry!! It went down very well. After some confusion with missing leg 5 supporters (found waiting patiently in the other car park!) Andy set off on Leg 5. I hung around for a while, as there were gathering numbers awaiting Nicky on her record attempt.

But I could only wait so long as I had to get back to Wasdale under my own steam. So I set off up the main track and Moses Trod to Beck Head. The sunset was stupendous as was the evening light on the fells, bathing Gable Crag in a warm orange glow. I dropped down off the peace and serenity of the high fells to the relative noise and hubabub of Wasdale Head in 3 Peak season. I got to the car at 10:20pm, and there were ten’s of minibuses, cars and scores of people milling around.

I heard in the morning Andy held onto that 40 minute buffer and completed in 22:20. Great effort.

Finally on Sunday, our last day of home holidaying, we headed around to Borrowdale to go climbing with friends up to support Andy on his BG. After trying for Shepherds but found no parking, then Quayfoot Buttress but it was busy, we ended up at Bowderstone Buttress, where we did Woden’s Crack, VS, Valhalla, E1, and Heaven's Gate E3. Have to say I struggled on both the last two!

So after all that I have to say going to work was for a rest, although it was such a nice day, we rode to work and back in just shorts and t-shirts!! No knee warmers, no arm warmers, no pertex…It won’t last though.