Weekend 1

 No Three Shires for me this year, but I wasn't too disappointed, the weather was certainly horrendous at home, and I’m sure was fairly wet in Little Langdale. P and I went to the wall in Kendal on Saturday to rest the legs a wee bit.

On Sunday we headed out on road bikes for a reasonable ride, out over Birker Fell, Broughton in Furness, along Consiton Lake on the back of the lake road, and back over Wyrnose and Hard Knott Passes. Lovely ride, and we escaped the showers.

Week 1

No running and 4 commute rides – total mileage 92 miles.

On yer bike

 Well I finally bit the bullet on my Achilles and went to see my physio – something I should have done back in the New Year. I got a telling off, then some reassurance and then the bad (but expected) news…. No running for at least 6 weeks (!!) and lots of exercises. I am allowed to ride though. So time to readjust…. 

Off colour

The day after my longer commute I felt tired. I put it down to a combination of a tough week at work, racing and the slightly longer ride, and had a nice rest on Friday. On Saturday I was planning to rest as it was the Lake District Mountain Trial on Sunday and I’d entered the Classic (was the men’s route). I won the women’s last year and had really been looking forward to it this year. But:

• They announced it was to be from Mungrisdale – cue lots of tussock and bog
• The forecast was appalling
• I felt exhausted and nauseous
• My Achilles was giving me more pains than normal.

So on Saturday I made the call that I was not going to race. I find it a hard decision to make, not turning up to a race and giving it a go, despite knowing that it is the best decision! I made arrangements with a friend to return the trophy and let the day pass. On Sunday, the forecasted weather did not quite get going although it wasn’t that pleasant out, and I felt a little better. Enough for P to persuade me that some exercise would be good for me, so we went out locally from the house for 17 miles of muddy tracks and trails, including a visit to the sea at Ravenglass where the route was flooded. We ended up riding through the sea (something we’ve done before on a night ride in the dark!). I felt better for the fresh air but more exhausted than I should have done for such a meagre mileage and slow pace. 

Different Commute

This week I’ve been working away from my normal office, but still within easy cycling distance 15.5 miles one way instead of 11.5. So on Thursday I got out of the house early and rode in, not used to having to carry full clothing and shoes on my back. The route was also different and involved a large amount on the main road – reminding me of old bike commutes into Manchester, but with considerably better views! Luckily despite the heavy showers flopping around I managed to stay dry both on the way in and one the way home. 

Gosforth 10k 2011

I had a plan for this race, it was not to race. I wanted to run with better style, and I wanted to go off at a sensible pace, not at my usual unsustainable mad rush. It was a warm but windy and dull afternoon and it had rained through the day, with showers still around. I took myself off up the village to warm up, and spent a reasonable time doing so, but was slightly concerned that my legs felt dead. Still, on the line I knew the adrenaline would start flowing. The start was very sudden and I think many were caught off guard by it, but off we set. I had a pace I wanted to run at and it felt so slow, but I made myself ignore the women around me, ignore the men around me and settle into a rhythm at my target pace. I managed this fairly well, and also settled in behind a couple of lads as wind breaks.

At 2 and a bit miles the route turns off the main road, and the wind came onto our backs, but the route losses its overall downhill line and starts climbing suitably, this was where it started to hurt me more. After 3 miles I’d intended on trying to pick the pace up, seeing as how I had run much slower that I normally do in the first half, but all I could manage was a matched pace with the first half, until the last mile that is when I slowed and started really running in my usual bad style! The most amazing this was that after all this it seemed I was actually in first place and came in first lady – not what I was expecting and nearly 2 minutes slower than last year!!

More of the same

The week just gone has not seen much running at all, with work getting in the way a bit but also just a lack of focus. I have had 2 days on the bike to work and back, an indoor bouldering session (which left me with massively pumped forearms!), one run up the valley to Stanley Force which was impressive as it was in spate after all the rain, and a nice walk on the fells in late summer sunshine. We headed up the nose of Kirkfell, down Joss’s gully, over Pillar, Red Pike and down the Dorehead Screes. 

Kirkfell and Great Gable from slopes of Red Pike