Yes, the race up Harrison Stickle was on my radar as well; in fact, these days I might do better on a short, brutally steep race like that than on the long drag up Helvellyn (whereas the latter would have been ideal for me in my younger days). I had even been contemplating having a very long weekend in the Lake District, combining the Harrison Stickle race with Blencathra 5 days later; it's a good job I didn't plan that, since I ended up with Covid the previous week!Originally Posted by Travs
In his lifetime he suffered from unreality, as do so many Englishmen.
Jorge Luis Borges
Its been a stuttering start to this week of training.
Monday due to work commitments meant i had that rarest of things... a full rest day of zero mileage.
Yesterday a combination of a trip to the opticians (from where i returned considerably poorer), followed by another emergency dash to the office, meant by the time evening came round i had not eaten properly all day.
Couldn't have felt less like training if i tried, however keen to get the session done as it was my last one before the next two races.
Grass session.... 3 x 3 minute efforts, with approx 5 minutes rest between... however that 5mins of rest included 3 x 100mtr uphill sprints.
A short sharp session, and in the end very worthwhile... first rep was poor, 2nd rep better, and final rep was more like the pace i feel i should be hitting as a minimum on this type of rep/session (3:45/km)
11.5 miles..... hard work done now and just got to concentrate on getting to the start line on saturday feeling as good as possible.
Last nights RATRun was from a new venue that has recently reopened, again, after a turbulent few years. The Devonshire Arms in Peak Forest never looks inviting as it always seems to be covered in limestone dust/spray from the constant stream of quarry lorries that fly past its front door on the A623 between Chapel-en-le-Frith and Chesterfield so it was good to see it spruced up and with all the crappy advertising rubbish removed from outside.
On arrival I nipped in to check it was OK for us to use the car park and get the last order time for chips. It was clean and tidy inside too, and Yes and 8.30 were the correct answers from the friendly lady behind the bar.
It was warm, sunny and sometimes sultry for the six of us who crossed the A623 and headed up to Dam Dale Farm, Dam Cliff and on to Mount Pleasant Farm where we re-crossed the A623 and picked up the Limestone Way. A lovely grassy bridleway past Adam's Well and then a short climb, off the LW, to the TP which sits between the disused Starvehouse and Cop Mines on Bradwell Moor. Across OA land to pick up the LW again and also the route of the Peak Forest Fell Race.(which we continued on to the finish).
A sharp left at Cow Low, up past Rowter Farm and across rough pasture towards Conies Dale but before dropping into it a sharp right onto more OA land and a thistly/tussocky traverse before a steeper but runnable climb up to Eldon Hill. After admiring the great views from here it was a tussocky descent, followed by a couple of fields to the house at Sweetknoll, and the fly in the ointment which was a half mile of tarmac, some of it down hill back to the Devonshire Arms.
A lovely mainly off road run of 7.5 miles, 1,025 feet in 1hr 11mins taking in most of the PFFR route. To the rear of the pub is a nice covered seating area where excellent chips were washed down with a very tasty session IPA, Delaying the Inevitable 4.2% from Wilde Child Brewing Company in, I believe, Mr B's neck of the woods of Leeds.
Only open Thursday to Sunday, the new licensee seems to be making an effort so hopefully they'll be successful although I have my doubts when winter comes. There is a small campsite at the rear and as we were leaving at 10pm eight blokes with large rucksac's walked in and ordered some beer. They were walking the Limestone Way.
Last edited by Llani Boy; 14-07-2023 at 02:08 PM.
Visibility good except in Hill Fog
8.5 steady miles on the treadmill today, followed by a lot of stretching and some light leg-press work to try and shake my legs out a bit after yesterday's ordeal.
68.5 miles for the week.
Next week its just about getting myself fresh for next weekend's English Champs counter. May possibly do something slightly speedy on wednesday, perhaps 5 x 2mins or similar, subject to the legs being fully recovered. But i won't lose any sleep if ii have to drop that one.
Looking at the number of entries for next weekend, and the nature of the race, its undoubtedly going to be my best chance of champs points.... in fact its last-chance-saloon really... with the final race in August being a combined English/British counter at Sedbergh Hills, and me not really doing the necessary training for such a long race, i think Chapelfell Top this weekend is all or bust.
3.5 miles today, had my first 5 mile run yesterday since my AF ablation feel like I’m getting stronger, biggest issue is weak legs but getting better every run
The Master is serene in the midst of chaos.
Evil cannot enter his heart.
(Tao Te Ching)
Luke Appleyard (Wharfedale)- quick on the dissent
Well done, glad to hear it's going well.3.5 miles today, had my first 5 mile run yesterday since my AF ablation feel like I’m getting stronger, biggest issue is weak legs but getting better every run
Can't say my latest come back is going so well, as it has stalled. My basic problem is I can't co-ordinate my surgically altered leg, and find that it's like running with someone else's leg attached to your body. Very difficult to describe what this is like; it just feels alien at the moment.
As always, however, I have a plan. I have discovered that I can run around car parks pushing a loaded shopping trolley, (leaning forward, quite a bit of weight on my arms), and I have been taking advantage of any such opportunity. I have also discovered a local gravelly 1 in 8 hill (with a monster 6 metres of altitude gain
I don't know about loaded shopping trolleys, but at the trail race that I did on Beacon Hill last month there was a bloke pushing a buggy with a baby in it. You see this quite commonly at parkruns, but I hadn't seen it before at a race. He came past me on the first downhill, but he seemed to be really struggling when I passed him on the second uphill, and I didn't see him after that.Well done, glad to hear it's going well.
Can't say my latest come back is going so well, as it has stalled. My basic problem is I can't co-ordinate my surgically altered leg, and find that it's like running with someone else's leg attached to your body. Very difficult to describe what this is like; it just feels alien at the moment.
As always, however, I have a plan. I have discovered that I can run around car parks pushing a loaded shopping trolley, (leaning forward, quite a bit of weight on my arms), and I have been taking advantage of any such opportunity. I have also discovered a local gravelly 1 in 8 hill (with a monster 6 metres of altitude gain
So if you want to go for runs pushing a wheeled object, maybe you could find an exhausted mother near you who would welcome an offer to take her baby out for a run in its buggy - but preferably not up a steep hill next to the A38.
In his lifetime he suffered from unreality, as do so many Englishmen.
Jorge Luis Borges
Cheers Marco, onwards and upwards (we’ll upwards eventually I hope) looking at your shopping trolley training could you get the same effect with poles??Well done, glad to hear it's going well.
Can't say my latest come back is going so well, as it has stalled. My basic problem is I can't co-ordinate my surgically altered leg, and find that it's like running with someone else's leg attached to your body. Very difficult to describe what this is like; it just feels alien at the moment.
As always, however, I have a plan. I have discovered that I can run around car parks pushing a loaded shopping trolley, (leaning forward, quite a bit of weight on my arms), and I have been taking advantage of any such opportunity. I have also discovered a local gravelly 1 in 8 hill (with a monster 6 metres of altitude gain
I don't believe so. When I started, I was putting probably half my weight on the trolley. Even if I could have put this load through my arms, I'd have had to concentrate on co-ordinating them and my leg that I'm struggling to co-ordinate.
I think I'm about through the running-with-a-shopping-trolley stage, now I have found a hill steep enough to use a running-up-stairs type of action.
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