Today's Training

[anthonykay]

It has been some years since I last ran my route over Beacon Hill, Copt Oak, Timberwood Hill and Lubcloud; about 14 miles and 2200 feet of climbing, including some fairly rough ground (including cattle pasture, and we know what cattle do to the ground when it is soft after rain). I think I took a little over 2h20m last time, so I was quite pleased with 2h40m this afternoon, especially considering how much walking I was doing in the last 4 miles.

The permissive path through the Charnwood Lodge nature reserve, including the steep climb up the east side of Timberwood Hill, is one of my favourite routes for walking or running. Parts of it have a really wild aspect; on one occasion in the clag, the hill top felt like a minor summit in the Lake District, with only the cairn, the bilberry and moss vegetation and the rock outcrops within sight. I was a bit worried that bracken was taking over that steep eastern slope, although later I passed some longhorn cattle (but not in an area where there was any bracken for them to tread down). I love the way you can run within a few feet of these beasts and they won't bat an eyelid.

[Llani Boy]

This Thursdays RATRun was from the newly refurbished, under new local owners, Eyre Arms in Calver. Six of us set off on a mild evening alongside the River Derwent to Froggatt and then up into the woods to Hay Wood and the Grouse Inn. Back along Froggatt Edge to Curbar Gap and then down into Curbar and tarmac back to the Eyre Arms.

6.5 miles and 754 feet in a steady 1hr 5min. Back in the Eyre Arms it was apparent that the new owners have totally changed the place. It is now clean and tidy and promoting itself as a sports bar. Sounds bad but it works. Only serving chips and pizza until they can find a "chef" but 3 good real ales.

Our delicious chips were washed down with Moonshine 4.3% from Abbeydale and Tetley Bitter 3.8%.

We really enjoyed the first headtorch run of the Autumn. There is something special about running in wild places in the beam of a torch. Bring on the darkness!

[Llani Boy]

Last evenings RATRun was from the Church Inn at Chelmorton. A cool but dry evening saw 6 of us set off down nettle filled walled lanes to Farditch Farm. Up to Sterndale Moor through a couple of fields of frisky Aberdeen Angus cattle whose eyes looked wild in our headtorch beams.

Across the 515 and more fields then over the railway line to the bridleway that runs behind and overlooks the giant floodlit Hindlow and Dowlow quarries, both of which have had recent extensions causing footpath diversions. Along to Hurdlow Grange where we took our usual short cut along 200 yards of a disused railway line that handily links footpaths. We were confronted by a very angry farmer who had seen our headtorches and charged up his field to take great pleasure in pointing out we had been trespassing on his private land. I apologised for our transgression even though we had not climbed any fences or gates and were running on a hard manmade surface, causing no damage whatsoever.

Once out of earshot my friends told me that I was too polite to the farmer and should have told him to **** Off. We found out later in the pub that he is a bit of a looney and has form for assaulting trespassers who stand up to him. He was a big lad too!

Over more fields to the Duke of York where we re-crossed the 515 and along High Stool Lane on the Pennine Bridleway before dropping back down to the Church Inn. A total of 8.5 miles, 713 feet in 1hr 11 mins. My chest felt unusually tight during the run. Whether this was anything to do with my recent double jabs, who knows!

Back in the Church, excellent chips were washed down with Deception 4.1% from Abbeydale Brewery.

[Travs]

Another stunted week.... this moving house lark isn't all fun and games....

Also ducked out of Breidden Hills today.... looked at my calendar and i've potentially got cross-country races every weekend up to Brampton-Carlisle.... the racing isn't the issue, but training properly between them is.

Next week is the Midlands Cross Country Relays, which is about 4 miles i think... i'm still scarred from running the anchor leg there a few years ago, taking the baton in 2nd place from our Somalian Olympic star, and having the cream of Birchfield and Tipton screaming down my neck... and the year before that being "disqualified" on the start line for being underage in the masters team due to a "clerical error"....

This year i think i'm in the masters team legitimately, so hopefully more my level!

[Travs]

Back to proper training after getting the house move sorted.

2 x 2 mile reps. Actually they're 100 metres over 2 miles, and far from flat, but a good course and chance to compare times.

12:28
12:42

To be honest i felt the pain from about 8 minutes into the first rep. Although being first proper session for a bit, not a surprise.

Was doing these consistently in the 12:20's last winter, and down close to 12:15 when really firing, so will be interesting to see where i can get to this year.

10 miles for the session, plus 4 easy miles AM.

Thursday is a hill rep session, although i'll possibly only do 75% of the session as got the Midlands XC Relay at the weekend.

[Travs]

Thursday night hills. 350mtrs each rep, and quite interesting (as interesting as a hill alongside the busy A45 in Coventry on a wet, dark night can be), because the rep continued over the top of the hill and 50 metres or so down the other side.

Session was up to 8 reps.... i claimed stiffness and elected for 6, although after 4 i realised i was going to be able to do the full 8.

10.5 miles for the session, and 4 easy miles AM, a decent day. Today will be much easier as racing tomorrow.

Find myself a little bit in limbo in the group at the moment.... i'm a way behind the faster guys who are doing 5km in the 15's/16's/low 17's

But pulling away from those i was repping with last winter, leaving me a little isolated in the middle. Hopefully as the Uni terms crank up to full speed and more return, and others pick up their fitness, i'll find some good competition in the group to push me along.

[Travs]

13 miles today, 10 miles this morning and 3 this evening. 73.5 miles for the week.

A very pleasing week ultimately. yesterday was probably as good as i've ran all year, along with the inter-counties fell back in May, and the champs race at Chapelfell Top.

If i back it up with a similar run at the first league XC, then something similar at Brampton-Carlisle, then i might start to get a bit excited.... but for now i'll put it down as a good day and something to build from.

Next week we've got mile reps on tuesday and a hill session thursday. Hopefully another solid week now that i'm settled in my new house... next race is League XC in three weeks.

[anthonykay]

Beacon Hill, via Buck Hill and Felicity's Wood. After the inundations on my bike ride yesterday, I was surprised how little water there was on this running route. The footpath behind the houses on the edge of Loughborough is a long way from its Winter mudbath condition, the section of the permissive path alongside the Woodbrook was indeed alongside it and not under it (although the stepping stones across the brook were under water), and the lower section of the bridleway coming down from the Outwoods was no longer suitable for canoeing.

[Travs]

Mile session last night.

5 x continuous miles.... with 1,3,5 being hard, and 2&4 being easier.

I was working on getting my easy miles a bit sharper... last time we did this session i was running the easy miles in 8mins+ which is too slow.

"Fast" miles....
5:43
5:49
5:49

Both easy miles were 7:10

Surprising how much more difficult it is when you speed up the easy miles.... last time i did this session i ran the hard miles in the 5:20's (albeit we only did two hard, one very easy).

Was very pleasing to keep things consistent.

A bumper session.... 12 miles in total, plus 4 easy miles AM. Hill reps on thursday, followed by Parkrun/hill session on saturday. A tough week.

[anthonykay]

Hill reps in the Outwoods. After the astonishingly fast times I was posting the last time I did this session, I was back to more normal times today: 2:37, 2:38, 2:41, 2:42, 2:41, 2:46.