Mud . . .

[bigfella]

I live on the edge of the peak gritstone area, just across the valley it is limestone. It is very noticeable at the moment how much less 'sticky' the mud on the gritstone paths is, much easier to run on.

[PeteS]

I went to the town park this morning to scope out some potential rep measurements for tomorrow... not only was there standing water everywhere, but the grass to either side of the paths was lethally muddy and slippery for road shoes.

So it'll be out on the roads for tomorrow's session instead.

You are lucky there is no XC in Warley Woods this year. Did a quick run out there after work today. Mud absolutely everywhere, the stream is running through the valley where a nice pond has formed at the one end and we have a bog at the other.

[PeteS]

In the 30+ years that I have been running along my local footpaths, I never remember them being in the state they are in now. Is this because there are more feet tramping along them due to the lockdown, or because of unusually wet weather this Autumn and Winter? Probably a combination of the two factor.

It is much the same here. I think it is mostly down to the weather. It has been persistently wet for weeks and we have had a lot of snow and subsequent melt. Combine that with increased footfall due to lockdown and we now have mud the worst I can recall and it doesn't look like it's going away anytime soon. Some paths are now a struggle to stay upright and best avoided unless there is a handy fence to offer a handrail. Bridalways are pretty much a no go area.

[Graham Breeze]

In the 30+ years that I have been running along my local footpaths, I never remember them being in the state they are in now. Is this because there are more feet tramping along them due to the lockdown, or because of unusually wet weather this Autumn and Winter? Probably a combination of the two factors.

Mmmh. Anthony you seem to leap from questioning anecdote ("I never remember") to an assertion of fact ("the state they are in now"), then query the reason from (just) two suggestions and then reach a conclusion.

Is this all mathematically robust?

[Travs]

You are lucky there is no XC in Warley Woods this year. Did a quick run out there after work today. Mud absolutely everywhere, the stream is running through the valley where a nice pond has formed at the one end and we have a bog at the other.

That would be fun... Warley Woods is usually a pretty decent quality course underfoot, with only the woods section being occasionally tricky.

[gej]

Not only are paths in my area muddier than I have known them in 25 years, ones that are normally 1 - 2 metres wide have expanded to 4- 5 metres as people try to avoid the mud.

[PeteS]

Not only are paths in my area muddier than I have known them in 25 years, ones that are normally 1 - 2 metres wide have expanded to 4- 5 metres as people try to avoid the mud.

Much the same here. New paths have formed across (private) land adjacent to paths as the main rights of way are becoming impassable. The one benefit of the recent cold snap was that the mud was frozen solid but as it is heavily rutted, it was hard to run on. More rain this week so will have to try and find some alternative routes though that proving difficult with lockdown restrictions.

[anthonykay]

Walsh PB trainers, nearly new: only worn once . . . [No, I'm not trying to flog them!]

Walshes.jpg

[anthonykay]

By the way, how do you insert an image so that it comes up as an image rather than as a link to the image?

[anthonykay]

Pleasant surprise on today's run: usually when it rains after a long dry period, the footpaths around here have a slippery, wet surface layer over a hard substrate, but the rain has actually soaked in enough to soften the ground a bit, without being slippery on top.