Quote Originally Posted by Thumbcandy View Post


Now having done the half my training has turned to the Yorkshireman, and I'm planning to use the tri and 10K races as training sessions for it. I have mixed feelings of thrill and apprehension when I read about fell running on these forums. Thrill because of the challenge that awaits me, and the beautiful and no doubt treacherous countryside that I'll experience; but apprehension because I know very little about fells, I don't know yet if or how quickly I'll be able to get around the course, I haven't yet run with a pack/bladder (and I plan to), and I don't know if I can read a map while running. I've been walking in Yorkshire and the Lake District but not for 20-odd years. My trail running has taken in all sorts of surfaces and conditions (one of the races was at 8am in early January, -6 degrees, and the Feb one was on thick snow), but generally there is a trail. I can't really find a definition, but I assume the biggest difference between trail and fell running is that with the latter there's not always an obvious trail, would that be about right?


Hi Andy. Have to confess to not knowing much about the Yorkshireman ORM but if you're running 16 mile for a long run each week then you're not far off. Sounds like you're enjoying it which is the main thing.


Have you had a chance to come up and do some running in the dales or a recce?


There's loads of advice on here about gear and packs etc. For me a big part of fell running is the route choice and the ability to get away from marked paths onto wilder ground. I've benefited from joining a club with more experienced members who can show you good training routes to push your boundaries. Might me worthwhile if you haven't already done so?