this sounds a good idea to me. I am too slow/not fit enough to join other Recces.
30 years and still here.
I just thought you were all super fit, etc,
ML, i always treat people with respect, sometimes i am to nice for my own good, and just recently was to nice to someone, and got burnt!
But lovely to read that fellrunning is about joining in, rather than competing!
Hows your heel now Al, and, you should ask in the office to add your injury to the accident book.
Running in races unfit is what its all about. Its far, far, far tougher than actually running in them when you're fit... which is just a doddle .
Full body cramps, knife stabbingly horrendous cramp in your calves, dehydration, legs collapsing underneath you, not being able to move at all at the end but just lying there groaning, taking 20 minutes to bend your body sufficiently to get in your car to go home, hypothermia, double vision, full frontal body grazes, chaffage above and beyond human endurance, bleeding nipples, falls on rocks, falls in bogs, falls in rivers, crashes descending, mud up to your neck, twisted ankles, frozen hands, hit by falling rubble, near misses from dislodged boulders............ (and so on and so on).
And I think I did them all in one race once
Why do people think that
ok, so if there's a recce going doing a 20 mile run over 6000ft and you're only up to running 8 miles or so (this an example so don't all bark...I CAN'T even do 8 miles) then I'd say yes, you might struggle a bit.
However, there are plenty of social runs and shorter recces. Maybe by virtue of it being called a recce people think that it's going to be full on race pace?
This isn't the case.
The pace is that of the slowest....any speed demons getting chilly waiting are encouraged to do hill reps!
There are more often than not alternate routes or points at which anyone wanting to can head back....this has happened many times, eg just coming back from fitness myself I really CBA dropping down to a couple of checkpoints on a run in November so just arranged to stay on track and meet the others further on. (bearing in mind I knew where I was, noone would be left to do this if they didn't!!)
Perhaps Piglet are you suggesting some Social runs in various areas with no particular agenda other than a group of runners showing people knew to the fells various routes and sharing knowledge of such???
Don't be too put off be 'recce's' though, we all start somewhere and you will find most people are only too willing to help
Maybe start a couple of threads with dates in mind and see who's free to do what?
I don't think any meet needs to be a fell race recce anyway. Typically the races that need recce-ing are the longer ones which won't necessarily be on anybody new to fell racing's radar. Just meet up and run round something - preferably say 10 to 12 miles in length with options to turn into smaller 5 or 8 mile circuits if things don't go to plan.
Piglet, what area are you in?
If you want to go for a run/walk with a beginner, then i am very much the beginner...
If you want a mentor, then a club would be a good place to start...
The club route has other advantages too: shared travel to races, club insurance, 'attached' status, endless T-shirts to polish the car with, folk who have already been to events and know the good campsites/pubs/chippy (not that I frequent any such places). Often there will be members who will drag you into related events, mountain biking or adventure racing and who know where to find the decent local physio afterwards. Finally you can then join the FRA(as if you had'nt already) and vote on issues related to your sport and gripe with the rest of us when 'they' don't listen to you!
Go on join today