I am looking to find a group of like minded people as a loose knit training group for a round in 2014 - and support each other on those attempts. My own goals are hopefully a joss 15 and BG in the same year, starting with a round in May. I cannot do heat.
My intentions are to try to get at least 1 reccie a month of at least 5000 feet until feb to keep some climbing condition, then feb and mar to kick that up to closer to the desirable 10K a week - with a 7000+ with double legs, and possibly going all the way round on 2/3 days. Then supports and re re re rounds... across the late spring/ early summer until it gets too hot.
I am suggesting using this thread to advertise reccies intended by that group.
I don't expect all to turn up on all reccies. Just a pool of people interested in
doing some of them some of the time.
So an introduction...
I know the route pretty well and have been supporting it / navving it even in clag since 1995 carrying rucksacks for 2/3 legs on occasion, occasionally at paces closer to 20 than 24. Have done all the legs many times over. Have done most of it happily at night vis a vis 1 and 2 Clock and 5 and 4 anti, and have done and or reccied most of it in thick white out clag. The only thing I never intend to repeat is Leg 3 Clock in the dark. I thought it might be bad: Stolly's round proved it was worse than even I thought it would be! That aside, I am up for anything!
Whilst I would probably have done it easily back in 96/97, starting a few businesses - and a series of serious injuries meant I have never even toed the line for a BG start let alone a BG finish, having only had a couple of decent running years in the last 10.
Most recently I tore an ankle apart around 4/5 years ago (rabbits on blencathra to blame) , that in consequence wrecked a knee, leading to an operation around 4 years ago. Now I have very little cartilage at all in that knee , even articular so despite the attempts to get back for the next two years, it has been slow to heal, and only this year have I been able to run anything like injury free, although as the first year back I am slow, able to maintain BG pace over 7/8 hours (eg leg 2 to dolly and back) but thats about it. Attempting to go 10-12hours this year, I could not hold the pace.
The inability to run without limping slowly in many of those years has probably helped with knowledge, since I have reccied all sorts of variants over the years when unable to race or even support. Reccieing was pretty much all I could do. There is not a lot I have not tried! Take the direct route from clough apike to great dodd (arguable), and the direct descent of yewbarrow to red pike (I think worthwhile) I am a climber of sorts, and happy to show the group broad stand, when in condition for those who want to try it with a top rope.
History has told me the second year back - ie next year - I manage to get faster, but I never seem to make the third before something snaps again - hence my user name! So my BG has to be next spring.
I work from home/semi retired, so I can do weekdays as well as weekends for those who wish.
So who would like to join in the class of 2014?
All I am after is contacts of people interested in doing some of the reccies some of the time, from 1 a month till feb kicking up to serious amounts in feb/mar next year, weather permitting. With supports from late april on.
PM or add to the thread as you wish.