Some leg press work, 150 monkey squats, and some courtsey squats.
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Some leg press work, 150 monkey squats, and some courtsey squats.
15.16 miles, 4,391 feet, 5 hours 8 minutes: Fairfield Horseshoe, or most of it, anti-clockwise, plus Loughrigg. Sunshine, blue sky, thin high streaky clouds, and the occasional fluffy cloud sitting on some of the highest tops. No rain. A cold moderately strong wind from the south east. Terrain anything from dry to icy to frozen hard depending on height and sun exposure. There was a couple of inches of snow on the tops of Hart Crag and Fairfield. Slippery in places. Not many walkers on the fells; 1 runner seen.
I ascended via Rydal Park, the rock step, and the non-race side of the wall; descending I took the four trods to the right/west of the various tops, going down to Alcock Tarn from the fourth trod, then through Penny Rock Woods, along Loughrigg Terrace and up the steps to Loughrigg top before descending to Ambleside.
11.1 miles, 3,303 feet, 3 hours 58 minutes: Wansfell Pike from 2 sides, ascending the first time from Kelsick Scar, and the second time from the upper part of Nanny Lane, having gone along to Wansfell true top and Baystones. The final descent was via Blue Hill Woods. Overcast, with the cloud base at about 2,500 feet. A few small and brief patches of blue sky. The reflected sunlight off the sea and the far end of Windermere was impressive. No rain nor wind. Terrain damp/wet and slippery in places - no ice nor frozen ground, in fact it was surprisingly warm. Not many walkers on the fell; no runners seen.
10.8 miles, 3,012 feet, 3 hours 27 minutes: Loughrigg trails, visiting the top three times: the first time from the direction of Todd Crag and Lily Tarn, joining the race route from Rothay Park at the top gate; the second time via the steps overlooking Loughrigg Tarn; the third time via the steps overlooking Grasmere - so I went down the race route to the road at High Close twice. Overcast, with banks of cloud/mist at multiple levels, including down to the valley floor in places. Virtually constant drizzle. No significant wind. Terrain wet/saturated/slippery. Lots of walkers on the fell, including 2 large groups - more than 10 in each. 4 runners seen.
13.69 miles, 3,190 feet, 4 hours 7 minutes: Wansfell Pike from the Troutbeck/Nanny Lane side, having taken in Stagshaw Gardens, High Skelghyll, Skelghyll Lane, Holbeck Lane, Low Wood, Mirk Lane, and Wain Lane. Overcast, with the cloud base at about 900 feet; there were some banks of cloud/mist below that. Constant drizzle/light rain. A moderately strong wind from the south, particularly noticeable on the Pike. Terrain wet/saturated/streaming/slippery. Not many walkers about; 7 runners seen.
12.31 miles, 1,448 feet, 2 hours 47 minutes: Rothay Bridge - Clappersgate - Brathay - Wray Castle - Coffin Trail - Claife - High Wray - Wray Castle - Brathay - Clappersgate - Rothay Bridge. Overcast, with the cloud base at about 2,000 feet. No rain. A cold breeze from the north. This was all on bitumen or trail and grip on the wet surface was not an issue. Not many walkers about; 2 runners seen.
There are some end on slates on the path next to the road near Brathay - apparently they are placed this way to "grip" gravel, but all the rain has washed the gravel away - they put a huge slice in a bike tyre a few days back.
14.1 miles, 2,697 feet, 3 hours 52 minutes: Rothay Bridge in Ambleside to Little Langdale and Lingmoor Fell top and back. Overcast, with the cloud base above the tops. Some small patches of blue sky with very transient sunshine. No rain; no significant wind. There was a very sparse sprinkling of snow above about 1,000 feet, but the ground was not frozen; it was mainly wet/saturated and slippery in places. Very few walkers about; no runners seen.
11.35 miles, 2,875 feet, 3 hours 40 minutes: Loughrigg trails, taking in Fishgarths Wood, Todd Crag, Lily Tarn, down to just above the caves, up to the top, down the race route to the road at High Close, down through Deerbolts Woods to Grasmere shore, visiting the top the second time via Loughrigg Terrace and the steps overlooking Grasmere, before descending past the old golf club. Overcast, with the cloud base initially at about 400 feet, and visibility down to 150 feet; it started to clear just as I was finishing. No rain; a moderate breeze from the south west. Terrain saturated/streaming/slippery. Lots of walkers on the fell, including a group of 14 having their lunch on the top. 1 runner seen.
10.07 miles, 3,258 feet, 3 hours 49 minutes: Wansfell Pike from 2 sides, ascending the first time via Kelsick Scar, then going along the ridge to the true top and Baystones, down to the upper part of Nanny Lane, and back up to the Pike. The final descent was via Blue Hill Woods. Overcast, with the cloud base at about 2,000 feet; misty, with some banks of cloud, below that. Intermittent drizzle. A moderate breeze from the south west. Terrain saturated/streaming and very slippery. The local cattle have been let loose on the ridge - their mess added to the hazards. Very few people about - I only came across about half a dozen people all day, none of them runners.
15.05 miles, 4,269 feet, 5 hours 4 minutes: Fairfield Horseshoe anti-clockwise - or most of it - plus Loughrigg. Overcast, with the cloud base at about 2,500 feet; misty below that. A moderate wind from the south west. Intermittent drizzle for the last couple of miles. There were a few patches of ice above 2,200 feet, but it was easy to avoid them. Terrain saturated/streaming/slippery. Very few walkers on the fells; 5 runners seen.
The route was as follows: Ambleside - Rydal Park - Low Sweden Bridge - rock step - up the race/east side of the wall to Low/High Pikes - south west of Dove Crag - Hart Crag - Fairfield - to the right/west of the 4 tops on the descent - Alcock Tarn - Brackenfell - Banerigg - Penny Rock Woods - Loughrigg Terrace - Loughrigg top - Ambleside.
10.66 miles, 3,280 feet, 3 hours 13 minutes: Rothay Bridge - Barrons Road - Old Lake Road - Blue Hill Road/Lane to the bottom of the Wansfell steps - Ambleside - Rothay Park - Under Loughrigg Road - Pelter Bridge - the lowest path alongside Rydal Water - Loughrigg Terrace - steps overlooking Grasmere - Loughrigg top - down past the old golf Club - Rothay Park - Rothay Bridge. Mainly overcast, with clouds at various levels; some patches of blue sky. Intermittent drizzle/light rain/graupel. Terrain saturated/streaming/slippery. An extremely strong wind from the north - I had to clutch the rocks to reach the trig pillar on Loughrigg. Not many walkers about; 7 runners seen.
There was no obvious snow on the tops I could see. That wind was the strongest I have experienced. Some of the height gain will be artifactual from the wind.
10.56 miles, 3,574 feet, 3 hours 18 minutes: Loughrigg trails, including Fishgarths and Deerbolts Woods, Lily and Loughrigg Tarns, Todd Greg, and up to the top via Loughrigg Terrace and the steps overlooking Grasmere. Extensive high cloud mainly above the tops; some sunshine/blue sky. There is snow on some of the fells above about 2,500 feet. A few minutes of drizzle. That strong wind is still there, now from the north east; again I had to hold onto the rocks at the top of Loughrigg to avoid being blown off. The ground is surprisingly dry in many places, though some is still wet/saturated/slippery. Quite a few walkers on the fell, mainly low down; 7 runners seen.
10.52 miles, 3,038 feet, 3 hours 39 minutes: Rothay Bridge - Miller Bridge - Low Sweden Bridge - rock step - High Sweden Bridge - Scandale - Red Screes - south ridge - Golden Rule Pub - Ambleside. Extensive cloud cover mixed with sunshine/blue sky. The cloud base was initially at about 2,000 feet, it was above most of the tops later. Intermittent drizzle. A moderately strong cold wind from the north. Terrain wet/saturated/slippery. Very few walkers on the fells; no runners seen.
There was no snow/ice underfoot, nor did I see any elsewhere. Thankfully that really strong wind has abated.
10.08 miles, 3,753 feet, 4 hours 8 minutes: Lay-by just to the south of the Travellers Rest - Winterseeds - Grisedale Hause - Helvellyn - Grisedale Tarn - Seat Sandal - Travellers Rest lay-by. Lots of sunshine and blue sky; some high fluffy clouds mainly above the tops. No precipitation. A cold breeze from the north. Terrain widely frozen above about 500 feet, with ice on puddles and hard snow and ice on the higher paths. Very slippery in places; I wore microspikes on the descent and they did an excellent job. Not many walkers on the fells. I saw about 10 runners, most of them in AAC Tuesday/Friday group.
The hardest part of the route was the direct ascent next to the ruined wall to Dollywagon Pike - never before have I had to use my hands so much going up this way. Even with microspikes I decided against going down it.
Given that i'm out of the Litton xmas cracker i'd like to have a go at Crag Fell handicap, but i'm woefully undertrained due to knee problems. The most climb you can get in one go around horsforth is 600' from the Aire up to the Billing, so that was done in a 6.5m loop. I did some leg press work this morning and 250 good form squats. It won't be enough.
MrB a week on saturday there's a 1 mile race up Orrest Head, just over 400ft climb..... might be up your street given your love of quicker stuff and uphill interval training.
9am start though.... i'm planning to be there (luckily i'm in the Lakes that week)
10.43 miles, 3,391 feet, 3 hours 43 minutes: Wansfell Pike from 2 sides, ascending the first time via Blue Hill Lane and the steps overlooking Ambleside, then going along the ridge to the true top and Baystones, down to the upper part of Nanny Lane, and back up to the Pike. I descended through Blue Hill Woods. Overcast, with the cloud base at about 2,000 feet. Occasional glimpses of blue sky. No wind nor rain. The terrain was firm rather than frozen hard in many places, making for comfort and good grip. Elsewhere it was anything from dry to wet/saturated/slippery. Not many walkers about; no runners seen.
Registration closes at 0845! Is this an uphill only race?Quote:
Originally Posted by Travs
Is it even going to be fully light at that time?
Yes uphill only.... basically from the main road up the main path to the summit.
10.6 miles, 2,995 feet, 4 hours 11 minutes: Elterwater Common to Sergeant Man and back, taking in Swinescar Pike and Blea Rigg both ways, adding in Lang How and Silver How on the way back. Initially overcast, with the cloud base at about 1,000 feet - I was in cloud from this level on the way out until 1,500 feet on the way back, after which it cleared up considerably, leaving some picturesque cloud banks. No wind nor rain. Terrain firm to hard above 1,000 feet, with some ice on drainage areas and puddles. Grip was good as long as ice was avoided and care was taken with rocks. I saw nobody on the way out, and only started to see people on the way back after I got to Blea Rigg. In total I saw 19 walkers: 5 on their own and a group of 14. No runners seen.
Oh dear that's not for me.Quote:
Originally Posted by Travs
Got my start time for crag fell, i might have had my pants pulled down here. The times are spread over 42mins and I'm going on 33, 9mins in front of callum tinnion. This is basically a wansfell by another name so I'm just going to get my arse handed to me here. I need to see Andrew B and hope he will allow me to plead my case. This is starting to look like my ill-fated trip to jarretts jaunt where I came last.
10.18 miles, 3,814 feet, 5 hours: ODG - The Band - Crinkle Crags - Red Tarn - Pike o'Blisco - Side Pike - ODG. Overcast, with bands of cloud/mist at multiple levels. No sunshine/blue sky. A few minutes of drizzle. No wind. Terrain wet/saturated and slippery, especially the rocks. There were some icy patches above 1,000 feet. I saw 8 walkers and no runners on the fells. There were also 2 people repairing the footpath just below the top of the Crinkles on the way around the Bad Step.
I wore my microspikes from the top of the Crinkles until the camping ground - because of the slippery greasy rocks rather than the ice.
10.33 miles, 3,377 feet, 3 hours 39 minutes: Travellers Rest - Helm Crag - zig-zags to Greenburn - Steel Fell - Calf Crag - Helm Crag - zig-zags to Greenburn - Travellers Rest. Mainly overcast, with the cloud base at about 2,500 feet; occasional sunshine/blue sky. No rain. A moderate breeze from the west. Terrain soft/damp/wet and slippery in places, though the rocks were nowhere near as bad as yesterday. No ice at this level. Not many walkers on the fells, though town and the car parks are very busy. 1 runner seen - he was quite close behind me initially going from Steel Fell to Calf Crag, but in the middle section where there is route choice he disappears, and when he reappeared he was about a quarter of a mile behind.
I got to the long lay-by just south of the Travellers Rest at 9 am and it was already full, though of course you can park before and after it on the same side of the road.
12.59 miles, 3,189 feet, 3 hours 50 minutes: Wansfell Pike, ascending from High Skelghyll after a couple of Skelghyll Lane - Holbeck Lane - Low Wood loops; descending via the race route. Overcast, with no distinct cloud base - misty with height and distance. Intermittent drizzle, a moderately strong wind from the west. Terrain wet/saturated and slippery in places; I did not come across any ice, but the ground was surprisingly firm in places above 1,000 feet. Very few walkers about; 3 runners seen.
10.66 miles, 2,838 feet, 3 hours 33 minutes: Rothay Bridge - Clappersgate - Fishgarths Wood - Todd Crag - Lily Tarn - Loughrigg top - race descent to the road at High Close - Deerbolts Woods - Grasmere shore - White Moss - Loughrigg Terrace - Loughrigg top - down past the old golf club - Miller Bridge - Rothay Bridge. Overcast, with the cloud base at about 2,000 feet. A few minutes of drizzle. A moderately strong wind from the north west. Terrain saturated and slippery. Not many walkers about; no runners seen.
10.56 miles, 2,353 feet, 3 hours 17 minutes: Rothay Bridge - Under Loughrigg Road - Rydal Water - up behind the caves to Loughrigg top - race descent to the road at High Close - Grasmere lakeside - Loughrigg Terrace - Loughrigg top - down past the old golf club - Miller Bridge - Rothay Bridge. Overcast, with the cloud base at about 1,000 feet. Intermittent drizzle. A moderate breeze from the north. Terrain saturated and slippery. Very few walkers on the fell; 4 runners seen.
Like yesterday, I found the conditions much better than expected from the forecast, though of course I did not go particularly high.
11.98 miles, 3,018 feet, 3 hours 24 minutes: Rothay Bridge - Borrans Road - Old Lake Road - Salutation Hotel - Wansfell Race ascent to the Pike - race descent to the Force Cafe - Ambleside - Rothay Park - Rothay Bridge - Stagshaw Gardens - High Skelghyll - Skelghyll Lane - Holbeck Lane - Low Wood - High Skelghyll - Ambleside. Overcast, with the cloud base just catching some of the high tops. Intermittent sunshine; intermittent drizzle. A moderate breeze from the west - it was only strong at the very top of the Pike. Terrain saturated/streaming/slippery. Not many walkers about; 2 runners seen.
So the Wansfell Pike race route was included in this run.
15.23 miles, 3,239 feet, 4 hours: Rothay Bridge in Ambleside to Lingmoor Fell top and back again. I had to go via the road past Blea Tarn carpark as a tractor was blocking the track to Dale End; I ascended the ridge above Bleatarn House. Sunshine, blue sky, some high fluffy clouds. There is a very sparse sprinkling of new snow above about 2,500 feet. No rain; a strong cold wind from the west. Terrain wet/saturated and slippery in places. There was ice underfoot above 1,200 feet. Not many walkers about; 3 runners seen.
11.54 miles, 2,736 feet, 3 hours 16 minutes: Lower slopes of Wansfell, including Borrans Park, Stagshaw Gardens, Blue Hill Woods, and 2 loops of High Skelghyll - Skelghyll Lane - Holbeck Lane - Low Wood - High Skelghyll. Overcast, with the cloud base at about 1,000 feet. Continuous drizzle/light rain. A moderately strong wind from the west. Terrain saturated/streaming/slippery. Very few walkers about; no runners seen.
11.57 miles, 3,659 feet, 3 hours 30 minutes: Rothay Bridge - Borrans Road - Old Lake Road - Salutation Hotel - Wansfell Pike race ascent and descent - Rothay Park - Under Loughrigg Road - Clappersgate - Fishgarths Wood - Todd Crag - Lily Tarn - Loughrigg top - race descent to Miller Bridge - Rothay Bridge. Sunshine, blue sky, lots of high clouds, intermittent drizzle/light rain/graupel. A strong wind from the north west - I had to handle rock to safely leave Loughrigg top. Terrain saturated/streaming/slippery. Not many walkers about, but I came across a group of 14; 6 runners seen.
The plan had been to take some photos of the way I descend Wansfell Pike for Mr B, but it was far too precarious to get my camera out.
12.15 miles, 2,398 feet, 3 hours 24 minutes: Loughrigg trails, including along Under Loughrigg Road to Rydal Water and White Moss, then taking in Loughrigg Terrace, Deerbolts Woods, Grasmere Lakeside, Loughrigg top, descending past the old golf club, and finally going through Borrans Park and Stagshaw Gardens. Sunshine, blue sky, and clouds catching some of the tops. A few minutes of drizzle/graupel. A moderately strong cold wind from the west - nowhere near as strong as yesterday. Terrain saturated/streaming/slippery; there is patchy snow above 900 feet - at the level I was at it was very slushy, the ground was not frozen and there was no ice. Quite a few walkers on the fell; i saw a dozen runners.
That's my 2000' of climb done for wansfell, 8x0.25m/250' reps of the big end of elbolton hill. I chose unwisely when it came to shoes, Scott supertrac, they are dangerous in snow it turns out. The grip is there when you're up on your toes climbing, but not at all when descending; the level of traction is unpredictable at best. I took the scree chutes twice, as it was preferable to snowy grass, but mainly came down a gentler line. No rabbits seen; normally this hill is crawling with them, but not today.
Steep snowy grass has to be one of the worst surfaces for traction - and microspikes don't help much if at all.Quote:
Originally Posted by mr brightside
7th place, travs, that's a strong performance. Why don't you start coming downhill a bit faster too?Quote:
Originally Posted by Travs
Yes.... the first 5 were well away, but when you look at the quality of them that is understandable.... i was in a close battle for 6th-8th.... the finish crept up on me a bit too soon, i was expecting 9 minutes or so, and suddenly the summit was in sight.Quote:
Originally Posted by mr brightside
We'll worry about downhills some other time! ....as i'm focusing on the uphill race at the Masters Champs in Sicily this summer..... not even doing the fabulous Jubilee Plunge this xmas as i'm committed to a 1 mile road race instead.
11.3 miles, 3,012 feet, 3 hours 31 minutes: Wansfell Pike from High Skelghyll, and a High Skelghyll - Skelghyll Lane - Holbeck Lane - Low Wood - High Skelghyll loop. Overcast, with the cloud base at about 1,500 feet; misty below that. Intermittent drizzle. No wind. Terrain wet/saturated/slippery; above about 1,000 feet the ground was frozen in places with some small patches of ice, making it even more slippery. Not many walkers about; 6 runners seen.
I took some photos at the top for Mr B, but with the mist and poor light they are not at all helpful.
11.71 miles, 3,090 feet, 3 hours 47 minutes: Rothay Bridge - Miller Bridge - Stoney Lane - Rydal Park - Low Sweden Bridge - rock step - High Sweden Bridge - Scandale - Red Screes - south ridge - Roundhill Farm - Ambleside. Overcast, with the cloud base at about 800 feet; misty below that. More or less constant drizzle. A moderate breeze from the south west. Terrain saturated/streaming/slippery. There were a few small patches of snow above 2,000 feet, but the ground was not hard and there was no ice, apart from on the tarns at the very top of Red Screes. I saw a group of 8 walkers, and 2 runners, 1 of them in the valley.
As forecast, it was amazingly warm.
12.51 miles, 3,436 feet, 4 hours 19 minutes. Fairfield Horseshoe clockwise from Ambleside, going over most of the tops, but not Great Rigg nor Dove Crag, where I went to the left/west and the right/south west respectively. I went down the race/east side of the wall, and around the rock step. Overcast, with the cloud base at about 1,500 feet, but there were large banks of mist in places below that. No rain. A strong wind from the south, particularly on Hart Crag, which is often the case. Terrain wet/saturated and slippery, especially the rocks. I saw about 15 walkers on the fells. There were 2 runners in the valley, and the local park run was well supported, but I did not see any runners on the fells.
Merry Xmas to all!