A good first route please

[ZootHornRollo]

for a total novice

I suspect you chaps get a lot of questions like this on here and get a little tired of repeating yourselves, so I'll try and keep mine fairly specific.

1. I need to decide on a route to have a crack at. I'll be in Keswick in early March. I thought of:
a) Skiddaw up and down the motorway
b) Skiddaw round (up the ridge from Bassenthwaite and round via the waterfall, down the bridleway)
c) Newlands horseshoe

Given that I have never run more than two hours at a stretch on the flat perhaps they're all too ambitious. I can however walk quickly all day on the fells. My fitness is good: am around 43 mins for 10km and do British Military Fitness classes three times a week, which is pretty high-intensity.

2. And the first of doubtless legion questions on kit: can I get away with my normal trainers to start off with?

Richard Askwith has a lot to answer for, eh ...

anyhow, any help / suggestions would be much-appreciated

[Roadrunner]

What the hell you doing on the internet at 3.06am!!!!

Skiddaw will be nice for you. No navigation problems because its like a bloody main road up the side of the hill!!! You could always turn back if you felt it too much. Lattrigg at the bottom of Skiddaw is a tough little test. I see these British Military Classes in Heaton Park and at Sale Water Park. Does the instructor never do the exercises or are they there to motivate?

[ZootHornRollo]

What the hell you doing on the internet at 3.06am!!!!

Looking forward to being asked, 'What the hell you doing up a mountain in March in a pair of shorts and a bumbag?'

I see these British Military Classes in Heaton Park and at Sale Water Park. Does the instructor never do the exercises or are they there to motivate?

To motivate and shout out the routines and pace changes etc. They'll run ahead pacing some of the longer running sections, and they'll demonstrate some exercises in detail so they're done properly, but the top group generally doesn't need that.

[GeoffB]

Newlands Horseshoe is an absolute classic. Don't worry that you've never run for more than 2 hours before - you'll probably be walking most of the climbs anyway.

Not sure about 'normal trainers' though. I started out with a pair of Salomon trail shoes for the first 6 months of my running, which were ok until I started doing steep descents where you really need some studs.

Good luck and enjoy it.

[ZootHornRollo]

cheers GeoffB, will-do!

[Mud]

Skiddaw is fine in trainers if it's dry, although fell shoes might be better. I wouldn't do Newlands in trainers, unless you don't mind getting a wet arse.

The nice thing about Skiddaw is the views over the other fells on a nice day or evening.

[scott baistow 93]

Newlands Horseshoe is an absolute classic. Don't worry that you've never run for more than 2 hours before - you'll probably be walking most of the climbs anyway.

Not sure about 'normal trainers' though. I started out with a pair of Salomon trail shoes for the first 6 months of my running, which were ok until I started doing steep descents where you really need some studs.

Good luck and enjoy it.

thats right if your doing something steep ascents and descents on grass id sugest some inov-8s or walshes try inov-8s website very useful as it shows you different terrains for differnts shoes www.inov-8.com

[stevefoster]

I wouldn't do Newlands in trainers, unless you don't mind getting a wet arse.

To which the reply would be: GRASSY ARSE for the advice

[Mountain Goatess]

To which the reply would be: GRASSY ARSE for the advice

That's quite good ML!

[ZootHornRollo]

thanks all

guess I'm just a little nervous about going up in winter on my todd and clattering my bonce in a boulder field somewhere 700m up