Today's Training

[Llani Boy]

This morning a 10 miles and 1,400 feet walk/jog in 2.20 around the gloriously quiet Staffordshire Moorlands to recce this weeks RATRun. Glad I did recce as the route goes through so many farms and farmland where the footpaths are not marked and, due to even less footfall in current times, are not obvious on the ground.

On one stile prior to entering a property a sign informed me that the path was closed due to a Covid patient being in the house through whose garden the path went. Looked official and put up jointly by the Peak Park and Health Authority.

Apart from 4 women having a picnic in the middle of a moorland path that I had to avoid I saw no one. Plenty of wildlife including hare, heron, buzzard, kestrel.

[PeteS]

Sprint hill reps session. Total 500m ascent book-ended by a hilly 1.5km warm up/cool down

[Travs]

Did the club's session this morning. But being conscious that i need to be absolutely fresh on sunday for the track, i declined to run it with the group this week, instead doing it alone and on the treadmill... feeling that this would allow me to keep some control and not turn it into a brutal session.

4 x 1 mile reps at tempo pace, with 2 minutes easy in between. As alluded to above, kept it well under control. But a decent morning's work, 10 miles and 1200ft including warm up and a very extended warm down.

[anthonykay]

I wish I could find out why my legs feel like putty when I'm trying to run one week, and then the next week I feel quite strong and energetic, without any change in diet or routines. Last week was one of the bad ones: Saturday's attempt to run up Beacon Hill ended up with me walking part of the bridleway back from the Outwoods, which is slightly downhill! But my two runs this week have both felt really good, even though my times are still much slower than I was doing on the same routes last year.

[PeteS]

Grabbed a few hours in the Brecon Beacons on the way home from taking daughter 2 back to uni in Cardiff.

Torpantau, up to the waterfall and then crossed the gnarly peat hags to meet the path to Fan Y Big. Then managed to trip and fall on the way to Cribyn. A few grazes and a big bruise on the thigh hampered the rest of the run but made it almost to the top of Pen Y Fan before turning and taking a direct line (big mistake!) back to Torpantau. An ocean of bog and tussocky grass becoming harder as my leg started to cease up.

My intended run was to include Corn Du and Craig Fan Ddu but the hordes, and I mean it was absolutely rammed, on the top of Pen Y Fan were more than off putting in these socially distant times.

Still managed 16km and 950m ascent although at a hobble for most of it.

[Travs]

South Wales was obviously the place to be today!

I know of another occasional forumite who was over there today, on the other side of Storey Arms... he met another fellrunner on the lonely hills on that side (who claimed to know me?!?).... and the Fan Brycheiniog race was also on today, slightly further west again...

Steady/easy week for me, with two days of complete rest. Currently on about 37 miles and 7000ft for the week, with track race to come tomorrow.

[PeteS]

South Wales was obviously the place to be today!

I know of another occasional forumite who was over there today, on the other side of Storey Arms... he met another fellrunner on the lonely hills on that side (who claimed to know me?!?).... and the Fan Brycheiniog race was also on today, slightly further west again...

Steady/easy week for me, with two days of complete rest. Currently on about 37 miles and 7000ft for the week, with track race to come tomorrow.

I need to explore South Wales more. I've ridden here quite a lot but running the hills is all relatively new to me. Having regular trips to Cardiff for the next couple of years, I have an excellent opportunity to discover some more so hopefully days like today will be a thing of the past.

[Travs]

My friend had a similar experience to your direct line back to Torpantau, on his first visit... tussock-bound in the upper valley of the Talybont Reservoir!

Pen Y Fan does indeed get busy... the contrast between there and the west side of Storey Arms is amazing, barely anybody on that side.

It is a great area. The races are good too... Black Mountains is a tough AL and in less than perfect conditions is probably a match for Borrowdale. Brecon Beacons is a superior version of the Edale Skyline. Four Fans my fave medium race, and similar in nature (but wilder and more enjoyable) to the Long Mynd Valleys.

Skirrid/Pen Cerrig Calch/Fan Fawr, all beautifully simple up and downs. The area even now has it's own Mountain Trial.

[PeteS]

My friend had a similar experience to your direct line back to Torpantau, on his first visit... tussock-bound in the upper valley of the Talybont Reservoir!

Pen Y Fan does indeed get busy... the contrast between there and the west side of Storey Arms is amazing, barely anybody on that side.

It is a great area. The races are good too... Black Mountains is a tough AL and in less than perfect conditions is probably a match for Borrowdale. Brecon Beacons is a superior version of the Edale Skyline. Four Fans my fave medium race, and similar in nature (but wilder and more enjoyable) to the Long Mynd Valleys.

Skirrid/Pen Cerrig Calch/Fan Fawr, all beautifully simple up and downs. The area even now has it's own Mountain Trial.

Did some runs out of Talybont on Usk a while back- it's easy to come unstuck as soon as the path deteriorates!

Just been looking at Four Fans race - looks like there's plenty of route choice. I think I'll give that area a go next time I'm down that way.

[Travs]

Raced on the track today, 3000m on a warm and sunny afternoon.

Ran a very pleasing 10:32 which is an improvement of 16secs on last year, and much better than my recent track splits would suggest i was capable of. I guess race conditions do make a large difference.

As usual i made a quick start and led a tight group of 4 for the first km, but the next couple of laps saw the eventual first two stretch away, and i dropped to 4th.... started to wind it up with about 3 laps to go and pulled my way back to 3rd, where i was to finish... thought sub 10:30 was in with a chance, and if there's any disappointment, it's that i couldn't manage that, despite putting in a big effort to do so...

Overall very pleased, possibly another track race in a fortnight and i'm tempted to go for the same distance again. Although on today's showing i might have a chance at a 5km pb under race conditions, so maybe if that option is available i'll go for that...