Off Course Phalarope

Off Course Phalarope

Monday 23 July 2012

Monday Monday

What is it about Mondays?  Oh well, soon it'll be Tuesday!



The BOFRA Gargrave cross country on Wednesday was a struggle for me as I'd run hard at Widdop the night before and the going was soft.  My legs were on strike and so was my mind after a narrow escape from a full head on charge by an enormous cow (well she looked enormous and murderous at the time anyway!).  This happened not far from the start and I ran the majority of the race knowing I'd have to pass back through the field on the return.  Yikes!  Needless to say, I was glad to reach the finish in one piece.  Andrew won a prize for being 1st MV45 :) , and there were tiny ducklings on the dew pond so all was good in the end!

We spent the weekend in the Lake District and stayed at Millbeck Farm B&B in Langdale.  It's a beautiful ancient farmhouse (still a working farm) and it turned out to be a really friendly and welcoming retreat.  We're definitely going back; you can climb the fell straight out of the door and the pub is a short amble across a stream and through a paddock.

On Saturday we had a lovely day exploring the Langdale Skyline.  Our route took in Silver How, Blea Rigg, Sergeant Man, High Raise, Thunacar Knott, Pavey Ark, Harrison Stickle, Loft Crag (I fondly know as lofty!)  Pike O' Stickle, Rossett Pike, Bow Fell, Crinkle Crags, Pike of Bliscoe; 13 Wainwrights.  We finished the round in the Hikers Bar at the Old Dungeon Ghyll where we shared our table with a group of walkers and enjoyed their company.  My chilli and half n half rice and chips went down well with a couple of bottles of Kopparberg fruit cider and I slept like a log.

On Sunday we chose a route that would take us off the beaten track a little.  We climbed from the back of the cottage up to Pavey Arc and traversed via Thurnacar Knott to High Raise then made our way across the wild fell to Sergeants Crag and Eagle Crag.  It was moody and windy and we were treated to some really beautiful and unusual cloud formations as we were buffeted along our way and the scenery was stunning.  Andrew had the wild idea that Wainwright gave a route off Sergeants Crag west down to Langstrath along the line of the fell wall (what was that about a good memory?!).  I peered over the edge and was very dubious but agreed to give it a go.  We got about half way down before my best beloved started to make 'we're not going down there it's dangerous' type of noises.  Unfortunately I'd got the determined-not-to-be-beaten hat on by then and couldn't be persuaded to re-ascend....who's the most stubborn one then?!!!  We picked our way down between rocks and heather and made it safely down but it was slow going.  From Langstrath we climbed up to Stakes Pass and back down into Langdale finishing.......yes you got it......back in the Old Dungeon Ghyll Hikers Bar!  The cauliflower and cheese soup was the best soup I've ever had and their currant slices are like ambrosia (that would be the food of the gods not the white stodgy stuff)!

Wednesday 18 July 2012

More training and races!

I'm writing this whilst sipping a post race mug of milky hot chocolate...mmm!

Last Wednesday Andrew ran round the Stirton Fell Race (Keighley & Craven) with me because he had a tight calf and didn't want to race.  I was expecting heavy legs and a slow effort but was rewarded with a great run feeling stronger and faster than in any other race this year, and having Andrew with me meant I didn't have to worry about getting lost; he knew the route!  The race was about 5.5 miles, 1200 feet climb.

We had a weekend in Devon with family but managed a session of hill reps on Saturday.  We did 6 climbs of about 400 feet taking just over 9 minutes each.  These climbs are a killer starting with a fairly shallow ascent but ramping up with a long set of rough steps near the top and a final grassy climb.

Monday evening involved a tempo run from home through the golf course, over to Bolton Bridge and along the back road below the Beacon. 

Last night it was pouring with rain and I'd had a rubbish day at work.  Instead of training we watched Sleepless in Seattle and had crisps, dips, soup and a couple of drinks.  It was a lovely relaxing evening.

This evening we drove over to Widdop for the Widdop Fell Race, organised by Calder Valley Fell Runners.  It was a bit far from home for an evening race and we only just made the start.  We encountered tussocks, bogs and mud galore and had a great run.  My legs seemed to be on strike for the first half an hour but they woke up eventually and I was able to push on a bit.  The mud was thoroughly stuck on; I couldn't get all of it off in the river even by scrubbing my legs with grasses!

Well it's time for sleep now.  I'm looking forward to the BOFRA cross country race at Gargrave tomorrow :)

Tuesday 10 July 2012

The Saunders Lakeland Mountain Marathon

And I realised that my youngest son Sam is a true grown up and a gentleman! It hasn't really sunk in yet but..... The weather was kind beyond belief. We arrived on Friday night expecting thunder storms, torrential rain and gales but were greeted with an overcast calm evening. When Sam and I woke up on Saturday morning to a clear view of the Wasdale horseshoe bathed in sunshine I was hugely relieved. I hadn't been at all sure about introducing Sam to the fells at their worst with no visibility and gales! I don't think anyone's under any illusions about my current state of fitness; that I'm a bit out of shape and somewhat off form at the moment. So it may come as a surprise that Sam and I managed a very respectable result of 11th out of about 120 teams. So how did we do it? Well, we ran everything we could run, chose good routes and lines, and managed to navigate and make route choice decisions quickly. Maybe next year with more fitness and maybe a bit less weight on our backs we'll be able to creep up the list a little further. We're certainly going to give it a try!