Todays permitted exercise!

[Travs]

Mike I had a look round High and Low Pikes this afternoon, along with the detour round the rock step.

Very useful, and your photos were much appreciated.

Not 100% sure I've nailed the section immediately coming off High Pike, but pretty happy with the rest of it.

Fingers crossed my legs don't let me down tomorrow!

[Mike T]

Mike I had a look round High and Low Pikes this afternoon, along with the detour round the rock step.

Very useful, and your photos were much appreciated.

Not 100% sure I've nailed the section immediately coming off High Pike, but pretty happy with the rest of it.

Fingers crossed my legs don't let me down tomorrow!

There are lots of minor variations below "pointer" rock - I still have not finalised the best way down for me, though the more I do it the more I end up on grassy trods down to the left.

The rock step was nice and dry today, and presumably will be tomorrow too.

Good luck tomorrow!

[Mike T]

11.02 miles, 3,214 feet, 3 hours 11 minutes: Ambleside - Rydal - Fairfield Horseshoe clockwise - rock step - finishing at Pete Bland's van in Rydal Park. Initially there was an inversion, with cloud/mist from the valley floor up to 1,400 feet; above this was wall to wall sunshine with some very thin whispy high clouds. Later the cloud in the valleys melted away. No rain. A refreshing breeze from the north east above 2,500 feet. Terrain dry with good grip. Not many "ordinary" walkers on the fells, though there was an event on that involved hundreds of walkers heading up towards Fairfield's summit.

I again took the four trods to the left/west of the main path on the ascent - I took the third one to get away from the walkers.

I saw two other runners, one doing the horseshoe anticlockwise, the other going the same way as me - we kept overtaking each other which was fun - she was better on runnable rocky paths, but I knew some sneaky trods that she didn't.

I had hoped to use a PB voucher that dates from pre-Covid days, but they did not have anything that I needed - in particular they don't bring Injinji toe socks along to events.

[Mike T]

10.78 miles, 3,076 feet, 3 hours 30 minutes: Ambleside to Hart Crag and back, going via Low Sweden Bridge, the rock step, Low Pike, High Pike, and Dove Crag both ways. I stayed on the east side of the wall to/from Dove Crag. Overcast, with the cloud base at about 1,500 feet. A moderate wind from the west. No rain. Terrain dry with good grip. Not many walkers on the fells; no other runners seen.

I found a slightly different - and better - path on Hart Crag. The grassy trods on the left of the main path below High Pike were clearly used by quite a few people yesterday - they are rather more obvious.

If yesterday's race had been held the day before or the day after it would have been so different.

[Mike T]

12.27 miles, 3,836 feet, 4 hours 31 minutes: Elterwater Common to Sergeant Man and back, taking in Lang How, Swinescar Pike, and Blea Rigg both ways, and Silver How on the way back, and going up/down Wainwright's route from the small wall half way along the Stickle Tarn/Blea Rigg path. Sunshine and high fluffy clouds. No rain. A moderately strong quite cold wind from the north west. Terrain dry with excellent grip. Very few walkers on the fells, though town and the car parks are busy. No runners seen on the fells, though I did see one of the Brathay 10 in 10ers as I drove through Clappersgate.

I finally found the ruined sheepfold near Swinescar Pike - best seen from the north west end of Lang How.

[Mike T]

9.33 miles, 3,524 feet, 3 hours 40 minutes: ODG - The Band - Three Tarns - Crinkle Crags - around the Bad Step - Red Tarn - right along the path towards the 3 Shires Stone, then left up the 3 Shires race route - Blisco summit - ODG. Overcast, with the cloud base just catching some of the highest tops. Occasional brief spells of sunshine. A few minutes of drizzle. A moderate wind from the north west. Terrain dry with good grip. Very few walkers about; no runners seen on the fells, though I did see two of the Brathay 10 in 10ers in Clappersgate.

[Mike T]

12.05 miles, 3,252 feet, 3 hours 36 minutes: Rothay Bridge - Rydal - Fairfield Horseshoe clockwise - Ambleside. Sunshine and high fluffy clouds. No rain. A refreshing breeze from the west. Terrain dry with good grip. About 20 walkers, no runners, and 1 cuckoo.

On the ascent I took the 1st, 2nd and 4th trods to the left/west; on the descent I kept to the east of the wall and went down the rock step. I have put some photos of the trods on FB.

I understand a runner in the race had a nasty tumble near High Pike and had to be helicoptered off the fell. I wish him a swift recovery.

[Mossdog]

While down in Hampshire for a few days, I managed a couple of cross country runs. The longest included Green Hill and Cheesefoot Head trig points, clocking up just over 16 miles, and 1877 feet ascent. That's longer than I now typically run in one outing, but the apparent ease of the terrain and running encouraged me to stretch the distance.

However, it's been a while since I've run cross-country, and although I plotted a route over footpaths and bridleways that avoided lanes almost entirely, I paid the price the next morning. Despite adding a thicker insole to my x-talons, the hardness of the soil and flinty route meant my calves were fairly chewed up, with the different running gait, faster speed and repetitive, less variable, footfall. It's helped me appreciate the lack of attritional pounding the fells offer and, for me at least, gentler impact on my body.

[Mike T]

It's helped me appreciate the lack of attritional pounding the fells offer and, for me at least, gentler impact on my body.

So true - on the fells every footfall is different - it helps so much.

[anthonykay]

While down in Hampshire for a few days, I managed a couple of cross country runs. The longest included Green Hill and Cheesefoot Head trig points, clocking up just over 16 miles, and 1877 feet ascent. That's longer than I now typically run in one outing, but the apparent ease of the terrain and running encouraged me to stretch the distance.

However, it's been a while since I've run cross-country, and although I plotted a route over footpaths and bridleways that avoided lanes almost entirely, I paid the price the next morning. Despite adding a thicker insole to my x-talons, the hardness of the soil and flinty route meant my calves were fairly chewed up, with the different running gait, faster speed and repetitive, less variable, footfall. It's helped me appreciate the lack of attritional pounding the fells offer and, for me at least, gentler impact on my body.

So you've been up on the chalk: horrible stuff to run on. Next time you are in the South, find some greensand hills to run on; it's a lovely surface, and if it's July, the woods on the greensand are full of bilberries.