South Wales Training Runs

[BillyNoMates]

The weather forecast for next week is predicting colder, more settled conditions. Sounds ideal for another infamous night run in the hills of South Wales.

We had great fun on the last one which took place in Decemeber on the Thursday before xmas. I still remember being 'suprised' by the summit of Corn Du as the cairn appeared out of the dense fog and the comical displays of fellrunners proving the fact that the grip had disappeared completely on the icy path descending from Pen-y-Fan.

It is looking like Tuesday night (23rd) is the best choice and the route will be to start in Llanbedr (or there abouts), visit the summits of Pen Carrig-calch and Pen Allt-mawr then descending the ridge off to the south-west and traversing along the field boundaries to the base of PCC, pop back over the top and back down to Llanbedr.

Anyone wishing to come along will be more than welcome join in.

[Boy Wonder]

I would normally be there but the current state of podginess means that I would be even more embarassingly off the pace than usual, so this time round I'll decline the offer - but keep us posted of future efforts?

[BillyNoMates]

I would normally be there but the current state of podginess means that I would be even more embarassingly off the pace than usual, so this time round I'll decline the offer - but keep us posted of future efforts?

Don't worry too much about the pace - we are running at night and based on past experience we are typically 20% slower than 'day light assisted' times. The main aim of the evening is simply to get out in the Hills for a couple of hours and enjoy the conditions rather that give it some yoor.

[BillyNoMates]

In true 'NoMates' style our group shrank to the mimimum size that qualifies as a group - ie two, but we were rewarded with some excellent conditions and had a really enjoyable run.

The ice was just begining to form on the roads out of Llanbedr so we knew it was going to be frozen higher up. The climb up Pen Carrig-calch went quite smoothly, we had to drop back to a walk a couple of times when we came across icy sections of the path. As we ascended further there was a light covering of snow which made some of the rocky lengths tricky to judge by headtorch light.

The wind was cold on the summit of PCC, but thankfully it wasn't all that strong. We made our way across to Pen Allt-mawr, this track is quite rocky and is difficult to run at speed in the dark and the snow, although it wasn't deep, meant that a lot of concentration was required to avoid tripping over all the time.

After the summit we decided to change our route and head over towards Pen Twyn Glas and run off the ridge to the South East. This section proved easy going, but it is very easy to misjudge the gradient in the dark and the steeper bits can catch you unaware!

All in all a really nice night out. I can thoroughly recommend night running in these conditions to anyone considering it. I will post here again when we are planning our next outing for anyone who is interested in joining in.

[Wheeze]

Great stuff BNM! Would love to be there but its a tough call during the week. Still, as long as you keep posting here, the opportunity may arise one of these days.

[BillyNoMates]

Wheeze, I know what it is like to try to escape 'duties' during the week. I have the same problem on the weekend trying to get 'time off' for races.

Will keep posting here with plans for future outings - hopefully if we can arrange it a fews days in advance, then you can apply for a 'pass' and join us sometime.

[Boy Wonder]

The climb up Pen Carrig-calch went quite smoothly, we had to drop back to a walk a couple of times when we came across icy sections of the path.

I crawl up PCC at the best of times!!

Sounds like you had a great evening - assuming I ever get fit again (now suffering from severe man-flu) I'll look forward to joining you some time.

[BillyNoMates]

Right, weather forecast for Monday 5th Feb is looking optimistic enough (ie cold) for another trip into the hills of South Wales for a spot of night running.

This time we are planning to follow the route of the Waun Fach race, starting at the pub on the A479. As this is a relatively short route, we may cross over the road at the end include a sneaky climb of Mynydd Troed, just to make best use of the excursion.

As usual, the invitation is open to anyone who wants to join in the fun....

[Boy Wonder]

Hmmm... just found this.... now 5.40pm on 5/2 - suspect getting across to Pengenfordd in time for a run may be a problem, even if I borrow the Batcar...

So, its off to the gym instead...

[BillyNoMates]

Hmmm... just found this.... now 5.40pm on 5/2 - suspect getting across to Pengenfordd in time for a run may be a problem, even if I borrow the Batcar...

So, its off to the gym instead...

Good job you didn't try to get there....we called it off !! (last minute family duties intervened and we had to cancel - would have posted here but there didn't seem to be any interest....)

Anyway, FYI we usually aim for an 8:00pm (sometimes 8:30pm) start, so even without the Batcar you would have made it in time.

Keep an eye out for this thread 'cos I will post details of more nocturnal outings as and when (usually when the weather is reasonable - don't want to drive a long way just to run in bad conditions).

We were thinking of giving that Fan-y-Big Horseshoe a crack at some point in the not too distant future.