Todays permitted exercise!

[Mike T]

7.39 miles, 1,722 feet, 2 hours 3 minutes: NDG - ODG - Blea Tarn - Lingmoor Fell Top - Baysbrown - NDG. Overcast, with the cloud base at about 2,000 feet. Some drizzle/light rain. No wind. Terrain damp/wet; the rocks in particular were slippery. Very few walkers about. This was an AAC run - there were about a dozen of us.

Having got to the road above Blea Tarn the question arises as to which is the quickest way to the top of Lingmoor Fell: the 3 Shires race route - turning right along the road then almost immediately left up the steep slope via Birk Knott - or - turn left along the road for about 1/4 of a mile then right up the ridge behind Bleatarn House. I took the latter, and for the second time on a club run found myself ahead of those who had taken the usual race route.

[Mike T]

9.67 miles, 2,672 feet, 3 hours: Rothay Bridge - Roman Ruins - Borrans Park - Champion Tree Trail - Wansfell Pike - Wansfell true top - top of Nanny Lane - Wansfell Pike - down on/next to the steps - Ambleside. Sunshine and clouds, the latter just catching some of the highest tops. No rain; a most welcome breeze from the north. Terrain dry with good grip. Lots of walkers on the Wansfell steps; 3 other runners seen.

Some people who used several large stones as a BBQ/bonfire base just below the top of the Pike almost certainly took them from a nearby wall. I would be so angry if I was the farmer.

[Mike T]

10.09 miles, 1,724 feet, 2 hours 30 minutes: Loughrigg trails, taking in the Roman Ruins, Borrans Park, Fishgarths Wood, Todd Crag, Lily Tarn, Loughrigg top, and descending past the old golf club to Miller Bridge. Overcast, with the cloud base at about 1,500 feet. Intermittent drizzle. No wind. Terrain damp/wet and slippery in places. Quite a few walkers about. 1 fellow runner seen.

[Mike T]

13.18 miles, 3,690 feet, 4 hours 10 minutes: Fairfield Horseshoe c/w from Rothay Bridge, going over the 3 tops on the way up, to the left on the Fairfield plateau, over Hart and Dove Crags, and down the rock step, staying on the "race" side of the wall on the descent. Overcast with a few sunny breaks; the cloud base was at about 2,500 feet. Intermittent drizzle. A very strong blustery and surprisingly cold wind from the south west. Terrain anything from dry to damp/wet and slippery in places. I saw 10 walkers as I was going up, and about 50 whilst descending. No other runners seen.

I had quite a spectacular fall on the final rocky track - I was running on the narrow grassy trod just to the right of it, but it was coming to an end so I had to join the track. I tripped whilst doing so and ended up in the wire fence on the other side of the track - thankfully the fence did not have any barbed wire in it. Some skin off one knee but no other harm done.

[Mike T]

9.32 miles, 2,528 feet, 2 hours 34 minutes: Wansfell Pike and along the ridge to the true top, ascending via the Roman Ruins, Borrans Park, Blue Hill Road and the steps, and descending via High Skelghyll and Skelghyll Lane. Overcast, with the cloud base at about 2,200 feet. Drizzle for the last mile or so. A moderate wind from the south west. Terrain wet and slippery. Quite a few walkers on the fell. No other runners seen.

[Llani Boy]

Good to see you appear to have no delayed niggles after yesterdays tumble Mike.

[mr brightside]

Pick your feet up when you descend. I always trip over roots when i'm descending slowly and have to remember to take extra care, when i'm going full speed it's not a problem. The slower i'm going the greater the risk.

[Mike T]

Pick your feet up when you descend. I always trip over roots when i'm descending slowly and have to remember to take extra care, when i'm going full speed it's not a problem. The slower i'm going the greater the risk.

I do try to dorsiflex my ankles when on terrain that might trip me, but it is often the unseen obstacle that causes the problem. If I lift my knees I find it inhibits dorsiflexion, so I have to lift my knees really high to have any effect. Also, the higher off the ground my foot is, the more likely it is to miss the intended target foot landing. I really envy those rapid descenders - I envy the average descender!

[Mike T]

Good to see you appear to have no delayed niggles after yesterdays tumble Mike.

Thanks - I was pleasantly surprised to have zero discomfort during yesterday's run.

[Mike T]

11.85 miles, 3,378 feet, 3 hours 26 minutes: Rothay Bridge - Miller Bridge - Low Sweden Bridge - around the rock step - Low/High Pikes - High Bakestones - Scandale - Red Screes - Roundhill Farm - Ambleside. Sunshine and clouds, the latter mainly above the high tops. A few minutes of drizzle. A moderate wind from the south west. Terrain dry/damp/wet with mainly good grip. Quite a few walkers on the fells; 4 other runners seen, 2 in the valley, 2 ascending the eastern side of the horseshoe.

The latter 2, a young lad and, I assume, his dad, slotted in just behind me on the path around the rock step - they had come up from High Sweden Bridge. I let them pass, and they continued to run up the path when it became rocky, whereas I had to walk. I was surprised to pass them about half a mile later when they stopped for a drink. I expected them to soon pass me once more, but they did not catch me until we met again at the gate just below High Pike - they had gone up on the west side of the wall, me the east. I suspect knowing the route helped.