It is a shame about that route Travs - as for the barbed wire, I really hate it - whoever invented it had something wrong with them, and those who use it are not much better.Originally Posted by Travs
Good luck at Sedbergh - all those deep but narrow paths on tilted terrain - such fun!
With the majority of the group racing at good-level track meetings in Loughborough and Watford this midweek, the remainder of us were advised to do our tuesday session from home due to the low numbers.
1min, 1min, 2, 3, 4, 3, 2, 1, 1.........
Nice and simple. 6.5 miles for the session, 12 miles for the day.
There's a new parkrun started in Coventry and depending on the after-effects of thursday night's track session, i might go along on saturday and give it a go.
Tonight's RATRun was on home territory from The Lathkil Hotel in Over Haddon. Six of us set off on a warm and muggy evening over the fields to Haddon Hall then back up to Walkers Buildings. Down to Raper Lodge and a gentle climb to Meadow Place Farm before a steep drop into Lathkill Dale and back up the other side to the Lathkil Hotel. 6.5 miles, 800 feet in 58 minutes.
A large tray of top chips was served outside overlooking the Dale and washed down with a very good Otters Pool 3.9% from Wincle Brewery.
Visibility good except in Hill Fog
Last night's session was on the grass.
3 x 5 minute efforts, with 3 minute rests.
As a lot of the quicker guys had raced last night, they were running the session a bit more relaxed than usual, which had the benefit of giving me a group of good runners to hang onto the back of, and meant my session felt very good.
Finished off with 5 x 50mtr sprints.
10 miles for the session and 4miles steady AM.
Probably won't do a parkrun tomorrow, likely to be a good 75mins hill work, followed by a longer run on sunday.
A good weekend of training.
Saturday was 75mins of uphill effort.
Today was 14 miles on the roads at about 7:20/mile pace.
A solid week of 80.5 miles
Next weekend is Sedbergh Hills, so will definitely do a hard session on tuesday, then potentially something vaguely energetic on thursday.
Grass session last night.
9 x 1 minute reps, starting with 2 minute recovery, reducing 15secs each time.... therefore final rep is off only 15 secs rest.
This session is a lot harder than it sounds.
I really pushed hard last night and tried to latch onto the back of the quicker guys, leaving the group i'm usually in a little behind.
This went well to a point... the last two reps i really fell off the pace as the lactic consumed my legs.
9.5 miles and 4 miles AM.
That was likely my last hard work before Sedbergh Hills on sunday.... after a discussion with my coach, i'll have 1-2 weeks easy running only after this weekend, then start to focus everything towards Brampton-Carlisle which is in November... any races which might crop up in between, Midlands/National 6-Stage, XC Relays, etc, will be taken as hard runs rather than preparing for them as races.
Earlier this year, there were two occasions when I did a reps session which reignited Achilles tendonitis which I thought I had got over. So I haven't done any reps since then - until I did 8 reps round the field near my home today (although the first section is actually on a winding trod between trees). Times were:
2:08, 2:11, 2:10, 2:14, 2:12, 2:17, 2:17, 2:14;
so about 5 seconds slower than I have been doing them in the recent past, which is maybe not too surprising.
On the first rep, one of the local buzzards came past, less than 10 feet above me. Then for nearly ten minutes there was the sound of high-pitched conversation between this buzzard and its partner, who was also flying around:
"Have you seen that piece of meat down there?"
"Yes, it seems to be trying to run."
"I nearly fell out of the sky laughing when I saw how pathetic its attempts at running were."
"So not worth taking back to the nest for the children; no nice juicy flesh, just old leather."
In his lifetime he suffered from unreality, as do so many Englishmen.
Jorge Luis Borges
A glorious evening for the four of us on last nights RATRun from The Packhorse Inn, Crowdicote.
A flat start up the Dove Valley before a steady pull up to Hitter Hill. Down to Glutton Farm, up the lovely little dale named Hatch-a-way and on up to the "reservoir" on Upper Edge. Across fields to Greensides Farm and on to Chrome Hill which was a magnificent sight bathed in the evening sunshine. Steeply down to Stannery and straight up Parkhouse Hill which requires a little scrambling if one keeps to the ridge line.
A short chat to a couple of very nice young ladies on the top who took photographs of us! Steeply down again, to Glutton Bridge, and back up Hitter Hill. A sneaky traverse, out of sight of a farmer who was baling hay, but through a forest of thistles and on to Aldery Cliff. This old quarry is owned by the BMC but is very seldom used by climbers these day and access is difficult through waist high nettles, including the descent we used with the aid of the fixed knotted climbing rope. Across the road and straight up the steep side of High Wheeldon. The sun had just set as we hit the TP leaving a fantastic sky as we looked back over our route. Along the ridge to the road, then a short steep stretch of tarmac back to the Packhorse.
A total of 8.5 miles, 2,359 feet in 1hr 35min. A great run apart from the thistles and nettles which are still causing my legs to tingle this morning! Back to the pub too late for chips so crisps were washed down with Eight Million Pale 4.5% from Aldwark Artisan Ales, a very local Derbyshire Brewery.
Visibility good except in Hill Fog
Stay away from Wainwright.
I try my best to.
Visibility good except in Hill Fog
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