Staying in Llandudno for the Welsh 1000 Metres tomorrow, so went for the now customary run around on the Ormes.
Up onto Little Orme for a look round and down to the Seal beach (no Seals today though). Then back along the promenade right over to the West Shore, then around the lower slopes of Gt Orme, before diverting over the top and down via the tram tracks.
A very leisurely 11.5 miles with plenty of photo and drink stops, in around 3hrs10.
Just back from a week in upper Duddondale, sharing a cottage with a group of none fell running and none fell walking friends. Being 'allowed' a couple of hours off the social leash each day to take a break from scrabble, novel reading, cryptic crosswwords and the like (the weather was iffy!) I took the opportunity to run up and over Troutal Fell, onto Grey Friar (joining the Turners Landscape race route), and to Swirl How and back down. Approx 5.5 miles, 2200 feet X 6. On 4 out of the 6 days the weather was windy and squally rain, with low visibility, but on 2 of the evening outings the views were magnificent. I didn't spot another person on any of the 6 runs! Bliss
Am Yisrael Chai
Parked up at the Sychnant Pass and had a little run out over some select parts of the Conwy Mountain race route this morning.... including the small peaks of Allt Wen, Penmaenbach, and Conwy Mtn itself.
4 miles and 1200ft in around 55 leisurely minutes. Certainly a nicer experience than when i raced there in 2020 during that Storm Kiara or whatever it was called.
Brings the week to a close with 65.5 miles.... a very good week, and thats two weekends in a row i've managed to hit races with just the right combination between a good week of miles and fresh legs.
Next week is back to the track and a 3000mtr race... although looks very much like i'll be running as a "guest" rather than running for league points, as there are a few quicker clubmates entered, so its effectively a free hit.... with that in mind i'll see how recovery goes over the next 48hrs and might try to squeeze in two club sessions this week.... then no expectation on the 3000mtrs but hopefully improve on my 10:52 of a few weeks back.... next fell outing is Ennerdale in a fortnight.
Last edited by Travs; 29-05-2022 at 07:09 PM.
Club night in the rain, which was torrential at times.
5 x 1mins
3 mins
5 x 1mins
With 2 minutes rest periods.
Another fast session. 10.5 miles.... a solid start to the week with 25 miles down already, although history tells me i won't maintain that mileage with a track race to come this weekend, and will probably fall somewhere between 65 and 70 for the week.
Another club session tomorrow on the track... will be first time on the track with the new group, and no let up in pace as it'll be 10 x 300mtrs for me.
Tonight's RATRun was from an old favourite, The Anglers Rest in Millers Dale. As 5 of us set off on a close and cloudy evening we saw a flash of orange, that I recognised as a reader of this forum, IR, heading off towards the Monsal Trail. I shouted to him, in the hope he would join us, but he either didn't hear or chose not to
Up Monks Dale we went and then climbed steeply to the Limestone Way which we followed for half a mile before we took a right and made our way into Tideswell Dale. Up the road to Litton and then across a series of fields which led us to a narrow path in the woods above Cressbrook Dale. We continued to Cressbrook village and then dropped into Millers Dale and straight up the other side on the Cressbrook Crawl route. Once on the top we turned right onto Bulltor Lane and then into the Millers Dale Nature Reserve and steeply down to The Anglers.
A lovely run of 7.5 miles and 1,501 feet in 1hr 16 min. The pub was snided with folk so we had our cheesy chips outside by the river, washed down with a very refreshing Hen Cloud 3.9% from Wincle Brewery.
The flash of orange did not reappear but IR, I'm on your case!
Visibility good except in Hill Fog
My first track session with the new group tonight.
5 x 300mtrs off 2mins rest
5mins rest
5 x 300mtrs off 2 mins rest
5 x 60mtrs
Based on my 400mtr rep times i was expecting times of around 57-58secs per rep.... however due to the excitement(!) of the occasion, and feeling the need to up my game with the new group, i averaged 54secs for the first set of 5, and 52.8secs for the second set. So under 4:45/mile pace which is ludicrously quick for my relaxed style...
Needless to say i was pushed well out of my comfort zone, and i'd say on at least half of the reps i was having to treat them as my final effort, and just pray i could recover in 2mins and go again on the next rep.
Managed to hang on close to the back of the group, of which the main pack of guys (and girls) were doing the reps in 46-50secs...
Another 15 mile day. A good confidence booster before sundays 3000mtrs, although a good showing there will be very dependent on whether i can recover from the two sessions this week, in time to be fresh on sunday.
Just about to head to the gym for a very easy treadmill run and a good stretch, to hopefully start the road to recovery.
Already feeling very positive about the switch to a new training group.
I had to google that one despite considering myself a northern lad "crowded or overrun with someone or something."Originally Posted by Llani Boy
Cause tramps like us, baby we were born to run
A weekend in Mid Wales and managed to get a run in yesterday afternoon. From the cattle grid between Dylife and the Wynford Vaughn-Thomas memorial along the bridleway to Glaslyn and then the Cambrian Way on to Bugeilyn. A right just before the boathouse and along a track up and over into Llygnant to just before the forest. Back up and around to Bugeilyn and past the boathouse, back on the Cambrian Way, and down to the Afon Hengwm. Back up again to Bugeilyn and then I retraced my steps back to my car at the cattle grid.
It was dry and cloudy but with a very cool, strong easterly wind. I had originally intended to do a loop taking in the end of Nant-Y-Moch Reservoir but was short of time so ended with two out and backs of just over 10 miles and 1,006 feet in 1hr 26 mins.
A lovely run in the wonderful Welsh wilderness and not another person seen. Fish and Chips from Wally's for my tea. Magic!
Visibility good except in Hill Fog
In a complete contrast to Llani's wilderness outing, i ran 3000mtrs in the Midland Track League at Abingdon nr Oxford this afternoon.
10:46
Its strange at these short distances where the margins are small... i'd have been over the moon if i'd got below 10:40, but pretty disappointed with 10:50.... and i was only 5 seconds off each of them!
As it was, i was 6 seconds quicker than my 3000 a few weeks ago in the Warks Champs and thats all i can go on really. And given that i "trained through" after a hard race last weekend, and two hard sessions this week, it all went to plan as a good stiff training race.
I have another one in the Midlands Champs in a fortnight, where i'd like to go quicker and hit 10:40, however coming 8 days after Ennerdale its anyone's guess as to how my legs will react to the constant huge variation in race types.
As for this coming week... will try to push through to tuesday's club session, then that gives me 4 days recuperation before Ennerdale on saturday.
This week's total 67.5 miles.
Club night and again on the grass, and again drenched by a torrential downpour whilst warming up.
5 x (1 minute hard, 30secs easy, 15secs sprint, 30secs easy, 1 minute hard)
Being a younger group, some of them still have "pacing issues" (i'm not immune to them myself either!)...... and i was stone last after the first set, but was picking people off throughout with a remarkably consistent session, which was a surprise as had never done anything like that session before.
9.5 miles.... another solid start to the week, but it'll be easy running all the way to saturday now in an attempt to recover some freshness.
Also had our winter prizegiving last night where the cross-country champions and handicap winners were awarded their trophies, and thanks to our generous sponsor, those of us lucky enough to score in the league races recieved our prize money.... there must be hope for everyone as even an average guy like me managed to rack up enough to buy a new pair of fell shoes through turning up consistently for the winter fixtures.
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