Been on the fells a year.

[mr brightside]

Awwwwwwwwwww cheers guys, anyone for cake?




I wish i did!

In high school i was good at cross country but we only used to train one morning a week from september up until december where we had all the regions decend to a local grammah school who have this quality course and race our arses off!
I did that until year 10 but packed it all in in year 11 and didnt start running again until 3 years later when someone tried to convince me to do the Rivington Pike race.
I only had a few weeks to try and get fit for the race but i started running every few days. The road runs gave me shin splints and ive only ever run on tarmac a handful of times since.
After 7 months of starting running i'd only clocked up 50 miles and i did a 10k. Was tough but enjoying it (once it was over) but much prefer to be off-road, getting muddy!

When did your knee problems start and how long did it take you to get over them?

[Al Fowler]

When did your knee problems start and how long did it take you to get over them?

My ITB started on the 11th November, 2 days after doing The Roaches Fell race. (15m/3700ft i think)
I'd only ever done that much distance/climb two weeks before in coniston with merrylegs. Whether it was the cause for the ITB to start i do not know.
I spent 245quid at the physio and gave up going in the end. Bought a foam roller and save myself the 30 quid or whatever it was.

The ITB hasnt gone and i reakon it never will. I also have pain in both medial collateral ligaments on the inside of the knee which comes with the ITB.
It was at its worse in January when i eventually decided the pain that i got from running was so great that it wasnt worth running anymore so i packed it in until may/april.
Since then i vertually never train and just race every weeks weeks so not to over-do it on my knees.
I want to try and get some routine into a training and just concentrate on doing shorter fast training sessions and see how it goes.


What is the knee problem you have?

[Stolly]

Hey Al don't get too biased about just running in the 'fells'. Think wilderness rather than fells and you can't go wrong - I've done a couple of runs in the New Forest this year with not anything like a hill in sight. Still fabulous solo running though with plenty of room for navigational cock ups, treachorous bogs, dense jungle like foresty bits and..... ponies

[Hanneke]

Yeah Stolly, you got to have ponies when out running New Forest, Fell or Welsh, all good!

Al, happy anniversary! You have done great... especially crowning a year of fell running with such a great race at Langdale! By no means an easy one

Cake, we NEED cake now!!!

[Al Fowler]

Hey Al don't get too biased about just running in the 'fells'. Think wilderness rather than fells and you can't go wrong - I've done a couple of runs in the New Forest this year with not anything like a hill in sight. Still fabulous solo running though with plenty of room for navigational cock ups, treachorous bogs, dense jungle like foresty bits and..... ponies

Very very good point.

[mr brightside]

My ITB started on the 11th November, 2 days after doing The Roaches Fell race. (15m/3700ft i think)
I'd only ever done that much distance/climb two weeks before in coniston with merrylegs. Whether it was the cause for the ITB to start i do not know.
I spent 245quid at the physio and gave up going in the end. Bought a foam roller and save myself the 30 quid or whatever it was.

The ITB hasnt gone and i reakon it never will. I also have pain in both medial collateral ligaments on the inside of the knee which comes with the ITB.
It was at its worse in January when i eventually decided the pain that i got from running was so great that it wasnt worth running anymore so i packed it in until may/april.
Since then i vertually never train and just race every weeks weeks so not to over-do it on my knees.
I want to try and get some routine into a training and just concentrate on doing shorter fast training sessions and see how it goes.


What is the knee problem you have?

I had the ITB trouble about 18 months ago but just manned it and it went away, now the pain has started in the LCL area which according to the physio is cos i'm using my ITB too much when i run. I'm on a program to train my mind to use the leg differently but i'm seeing no improvements i still can't go over 3/4 mile without getting pain, i'm only 4 weeks in though.

[mr brightside]

The original prognosis was that i should be running again for Great Whernside but i doubt if i could walk it the was i'm going.

[Al Fowler]

The original prognosis was that i should be running again for Great Whernside but i doubt if i could walk it the was i'm going.

Its a bugger isnt it.
Around Feb time it was really starting to get me down as i was missing out on doing races (i dont have a car so i cant be picky about what races i do, if i can get a lift to any race i'll do it).
I found the best way to cope was to still go and to support anyone i knew.
I even swept the course at Anniversary Waltz which was a kind of walk/jog with the odd mental decent thrown in - that hurt but was good to get out.

I think its all about finding that happy medium, and as you say....manning up and HTFU'ing. But its not always that simple.

[mr brightside]

Today is the 1yr anniversary of my first fell race, Ingleborough. I remember asking at registration what i should be using to hold my number on as it said in the race details, "no safety pins", there was some confused looks and joking about invisible velcro and i left the room with some borrowed safety pins. I attatched my number to the wrong side of my t shirt which meant i had to run backwards through checkpoints.

It's a bit of an anticlimax in reality, i should have been back up to Ingleton Gala today for a teary eyed homecoming but instead i polished off a staggering 2k on the gym treadmill and attempted to fix the light in my brother's fish tank. It's coincidental that today was also my return to running after my 5wk physio enforced absence i suppose.

[Deejay]

Happy Anniversary Mr B. You've done really well, all things considered.

My first bash at this wonderful pastime/sport, call it what you will, was a run around the Coledale Horseshoe route just over three years ago. I had the times of the last race and was just wanting to see how long it would take me. I'd never ran anywhere before that and was amazed to find that I wasn't quite last. That gave me the encouragement I needed to have a go at entering races and I've never looked back since. (Well just once or twice to make sure that there was still someone behind me!). I've loved every minute of it whether competing in a race or running for the fun of it