I've decided to stop writing my blog.
I'm just not feeling it at all and finding it difficult to write anything meaningful or interesting.
I'm still having issues with my feet so there's very little running going on and I'm wondering whether it's actually time to knock it on the head completely. Even just slow running is causing problems and the ball of my foot throbs most of the time.
I really need to get stuck into something else but, as mentioned in previous posts, I don't find it that easy. I've just come back from the Netherlands and wish that it was as easy to get around by cycle here as it is there. I'd cycle everywhere if I lived there. We did a 40-50 mile ride one day on our city (or as I call them, shopper) bikes without wearing helmets but having no fear for our lives.
Maybe I should just emigrate.
Anyway, if you have been following my blog, thanks for reading and you never know, I might start again one day but for now, this will be my final post.
TM
Monday 18 June 2018
Monday 4 June 2018
Week 22 - Peace and Quiet
Wednesday, 30 May
On the way to my strength and conditioning session this morning, I decided to park up in Limbrick and go for a run to check out routes I could use to get to the gym on my bike. I ran along to Cowling Brow and got onto the canal, coming off at the next bridge. This took me onto a road in a housing estate and when I turned left it came out on Eaves Lane but a little too far along from the gym so I had a trot around the estate and found that there was a cut through I could use which would take me out right near to the roundabout at the end of Eaves Lane. Before getting back onto the canal, I decided to carry on along the road which became very rural and crossed over the motorway. It seemed to go on for a while so I turned back and made a note to check it out on maps to see where it leads to. I then got back onto the canal and ran along to Limbrick - I wouldn't come off the canal at this point on my bike though as it's a footpath through a field but it's just nicer than coming off at Cowling when running.
My run was actually quite fast for me of late to I arrived at the gym pretty knackered. Had a good session though.
Total distance - 3 miles
Friday, 1 June
This morning I went for an easy run with Ruby early doors whilst it was cool. We didn't see a single person on our four mile run and I was able to have Ruby off lead the whole time. She started really flagging though so I did a bit more walking than I would have liked but it doesn't matter as it's just nice to be out with my little Ruby Dinks.
Total distance - 4 miles
Saturday, 2 June
This morning I went to the gym for an S&C session and, again, got a PB on my sit to stand. I can now get up on my right leg whilst carrying 12.5kgs and on my left leg with 7.5kgs. I'm so impressed with myself as it's really hard work. There was a lot of loud grunting going on.
Duncan is away in Fort William at the minute with my brother so today I decided to really clean my house. I was once told that in experiments it was found that people doing vigorous cleaning burned more calories in a day then people doing exercise and that's not wrong. By around 2pm my shitbit was beeping at me to say that I had reached my 2200 calorie goal for the day. I usually don't reach this until late evening!
After all my cleaning I sat back and enjoyed my lovely home. After all, it will only be a couple of days until Duncan comes home and destroys all my hard work!
On the way to my strength and conditioning session this morning, I decided to park up in Limbrick and go for a run to check out routes I could use to get to the gym on my bike. I ran along to Cowling Brow and got onto the canal, coming off at the next bridge. This took me onto a road in a housing estate and when I turned left it came out on Eaves Lane but a little too far along from the gym so I had a trot around the estate and found that there was a cut through I could use which would take me out right near to the roundabout at the end of Eaves Lane. Before getting back onto the canal, I decided to carry on along the road which became very rural and crossed over the motorway. It seemed to go on for a while so I turned back and made a note to check it out on maps to see where it leads to. I then got back onto the canal and ran along to Limbrick - I wouldn't come off the canal at this point on my bike though as it's a footpath through a field but it's just nicer than coming off at Cowling when running.
My run was actually quite fast for me of late to I arrived at the gym pretty knackered. Had a good session though.
Total distance - 3 miles
Friday, 1 June
This morning I went for an easy run with Ruby early doors whilst it was cool. We didn't see a single person on our four mile run and I was able to have Ruby off lead the whole time. She started really flagging though so I did a bit more walking than I would have liked but it doesn't matter as it's just nice to be out with my little Ruby Dinks.
Total distance - 4 miles
Saturday, 2 June
This morning I went to the gym for an S&C session and, again, got a PB on my sit to stand. I can now get up on my right leg whilst carrying 12.5kgs and on my left leg with 7.5kgs. I'm so impressed with myself as it's really hard work. There was a lot of loud grunting going on.
Duncan is away in Fort William at the minute with my brother so today I decided to really clean my house. I was once told that in experiments it was found that people doing vigorous cleaning burned more calories in a day then people doing exercise and that's not wrong. By around 2pm my shitbit was beeping at me to say that I had reached my 2200 calorie goal for the day. I usually don't reach this until late evening!
After all my cleaning I sat back and enjoyed my lovely home. After all, it will only be a couple of days until Duncan comes home and destroys all my hard work!
Tuesday 29 May 2018
Week 21 - Strong but also weak!
Monday, 21 May
After not doing a right lot last week, I started off the day with a 3.3 mile run, followed by a strength and conditioning session.
My run was hard work and my calves felt pretty tight, probably from all the standing around yesterday at the Manchester half marathon and 10k. I just parked up on Horrobin Lane and ran along the Street, then turned right onto Knowsley Lane and followed this, turning off towards Lead Mines Clough. I didn't go into Lead Mines Clough though and turned right onto the track along the side of Yarrow Reservoir before dropping down to the Dean Clough. I ran along the side of Dean Clough then up the steps, across the field and out onto Sheephouse Lane. If I went back to the van from here, I wouldn't get three miles in so I ran out toward the barn, turning right down to the prep school and then back to the van on Horrobin Lane.
Suitably warmed up, I did an hour's S&C session which felt really good.
Total distance - 3 miles
Wednesday, 23 May
I walked Ruby straight after work tonight and then my brother came round to go riding with Duncan but had to wait an hour for Duncan to get home from work so I took that opportunity of getting him to dog-sit whilst I went for a quick run...
...at least it would have been a quick run if I hadn't kept stopping to chat to everyone. I only did 3.3 miles but was out over forty minutes!
To be honest, I was glad of the excuses to stop as I was really struggling with my run and felt very sluggish. I was the same on Monday, maybe it's because I've started back at the gym after a couple of months of injury and my legs are tired. Hopefully just temporary.
Total distance - 3.3 miles
Thursday, 24 May
I hit the gym again this morning for another S&C session. I was feeling pretty strong today and it showed as I got a huge PB in my 'sit to stand'. In the past, I have been able to get up easily off my right leg when the bench is at the lowest setting, but not my left leg. Today, not only did I get up off my left leg, I also did it consecutive times whilst holding a 5kg weight! I was over the moon as it's a massive improvement for me. On my right leg I was holding a 10kg weight. It was really hard work and I made a lot of grunting noises but it feels great having made such good progress.
Friday, 25 May
I went to altitude spin this evening with Kath and Aiden. I haven't been in ages and I was dreading it now that it's really warm out. The spin chamber can become like a greenhouse if the sun is shining through into it. Thankfully, the sun stayed away this evening, although it was still a pretty hot session. I managed to bag quite an easy bike though which is nice because, strange as this may seem, I actually get a better workout on an easier bike. The hard ones are so hard that I can't physically keep up the RPM I'm supposed to be doing so I don't feel like I burn as many calories because I'm not going as fast.
Saturday, 26 May
Before marshalling the Ian Hesketh Memorial Duathlon, I parked up in Rivington and went for a run. It was, again, painfully hard work. I still had nothing in my legs. Hope this is just temporary and once I get used to the weights sessions again my running improves.
I went up the Pike, where it was horrendously windy, resulting in my cap blowing off my head and me having to chase it uphill when I was already struggling to run up there. After the Pike, I zigzagged around the terraced gardens, down to the car park underneath the Pigeon Tower. I then ran down the road towards the campsite, turning off on the footpath and along to Dean Brook, which I ran alongside back into Rivington.
Total distance - 5 miles
After not doing a right lot last week, I started off the day with a 3.3 mile run, followed by a strength and conditioning session.
My run was hard work and my calves felt pretty tight, probably from all the standing around yesterday at the Manchester half marathon and 10k. I just parked up on Horrobin Lane and ran along the Street, then turned right onto Knowsley Lane and followed this, turning off towards Lead Mines Clough. I didn't go into Lead Mines Clough though and turned right onto the track along the side of Yarrow Reservoir before dropping down to the Dean Clough. I ran along the side of Dean Clough then up the steps, across the field and out onto Sheephouse Lane. If I went back to the van from here, I wouldn't get three miles in so I ran out toward the barn, turning right down to the prep school and then back to the van on Horrobin Lane.
Suitably warmed up, I did an hour's S&C session which felt really good.
Total distance - 3 miles
Wednesday, 23 May
I walked Ruby straight after work tonight and then my brother came round to go riding with Duncan but had to wait an hour for Duncan to get home from work so I took that opportunity of getting him to dog-sit whilst I went for a quick run...
...at least it would have been a quick run if I hadn't kept stopping to chat to everyone. I only did 3.3 miles but was out over forty minutes!
To be honest, I was glad of the excuses to stop as I was really struggling with my run and felt very sluggish. I was the same on Monday, maybe it's because I've started back at the gym after a couple of months of injury and my legs are tired. Hopefully just temporary.
Total distance - 3.3 miles
Thursday, 24 May
I hit the gym again this morning for another S&C session. I was feeling pretty strong today and it showed as I got a huge PB in my 'sit to stand'. In the past, I have been able to get up easily off my right leg when the bench is at the lowest setting, but not my left leg. Today, not only did I get up off my left leg, I also did it consecutive times whilst holding a 5kg weight! I was over the moon as it's a massive improvement for me. On my right leg I was holding a 10kg weight. It was really hard work and I made a lot of grunting noises but it feels great having made such good progress.
Friday, 25 May
I went to altitude spin this evening with Kath and Aiden. I haven't been in ages and I was dreading it now that it's really warm out. The spin chamber can become like a greenhouse if the sun is shining through into it. Thankfully, the sun stayed away this evening, although it was still a pretty hot session. I managed to bag quite an easy bike though which is nice because, strange as this may seem, I actually get a better workout on an easier bike. The hard ones are so hard that I can't physically keep up the RPM I'm supposed to be doing so I don't feel like I burn as many calories because I'm not going as fast.
Saturday, 26 May
Before marshalling the Ian Hesketh Memorial Duathlon, I parked up in Rivington and went for a run. It was, again, painfully hard work. I still had nothing in my legs. Hope this is just temporary and once I get used to the weights sessions again my running improves.
I went up the Pike, where it was horrendously windy, resulting in my cap blowing off my head and me having to chase it uphill when I was already struggling to run up there. After the Pike, I zigzagged around the terraced gardens, down to the car park underneath the Pigeon Tower. I then ran down the road towards the campsite, turning off on the footpath and along to Dean Brook, which I ran alongside back into Rivington.
Total distance - 5 miles
Monday 21 May 2018
Week 20 - Perspective
On Wednesday night this week I took up my position of time
keeper for the Horwich RMI Harriers Jubilee Race and Junior Street Races.
Watching all the runners coming over the finish line made me
feel a bit down about my own running at the minute. I know I’ve been getting out much more these
last few weeks but I am still getting foot pain. It’s not enough to cause a problem running
but I’m aware it’s there and it’s causing me to worry about the future and
whether continuing to run is going to result in real issues with my feet in
later years. There’s nothing I can
actually do about it either other than ease it by wearing decent footwear like
Hokas.
I keep looking into other activities which are kinder to
feet but nothing floats my boat the same way as running. Running is just so simple! I don’t mean that it’s easy, it’s really hard
work, I mean that it is something you can do whenever and wherever. As long as you have a pair of running shoes
you can be on your way.
Swimming just bores me.
I’d probably quite like it if I was fortunate enough to have my own pool in my
back garden but the idea of going down to the leisure centre trying to dodge
round all the other people there just isn’t appealing. Plus the scenery never changes. ‘Wild’ swimming is much more appealing but it’s
not something you can do all the time like running is.
Cycling is OK but it’s just not as convenient as
running. For a start, I won’t road ride
except for on VERY quiet roads which there aren’t many of by me. Sheephouse Lane just seems like pure hell,
not because of the climb but because of the amount of cars speeding along
it. Off-road riding is good fun but it’s
hard to find a decent bridleway network by me and I find myself doing the same
route again and again which gets a bit tedious.
As for travelling further afield, I’m not confident on anything too
technical so I have to find routes which aren’t too rocky. Most of the blue routes at trail centres are
pretty short but I want to get decent distance in as I’m all about
endurance. There are a few long routes I’d
like to do, for example the Kielder loop, but they involve travelling a good
distance and overnight stops so they’re not something you can do as simply and
easily as putting your shoes on and going for a run.
Lastly, I’m still toying with buying a kayak/canoe. I’ve really enjoyed doing this in the past
but, again, how often would I actually go out on it if I bought one? It would probably just end up turning green on top of my garage roof.
I know this sounds like a bunch of excuses but the truth is,
running is the only form of hobby/exercise I’ve ever stuck at. To lose it would be a big disappointment to
me as it’s my life now and has been for the past 13 years.
All of this was, however, put into perspective on Thursday evening when I bumped into a friend who, about eight months ago, suffered a major stroke at the young age of 46. He's now getting around in a wheelchair, having been pretty active before the stroke. My complaining about running suddenly felt pretty petty. I guess we should be grateful for what we have as you never know what's around the corner. Obviously I'm still sad about my own problems, that's not just going to go away, but I should be grateful that I'm still physically able to do all the activities I have made excuses for above.
Tuesday, 15 May
I had a coached strength and conditioning session this
morning, having decided that my muscles are turning to mush because I haven’t
done any S&C for eight weeks now due to my pulled muscle and/or cracked
rib. It STILL hasn’t healed, which is
possibly my own fault because I haven’t stopped exercising.
Usually when I have coached sessions, Dave has already
written out my training plan and then goes through the exercises with me,
however today he just came out with a blank piece of paper as he wanted to try
out various exercises to see which didn’t cause ne any chest pain.
We started with some work on the hoops, doing double leg and
single leg squats.
Next I did face pulls and an exercise (which I’m sure has a
proper name but right now it escapes me) which involves being in a squat
position, with a forward lean and pulling down a bar on a cord – I really haven’t
explained that very well!
After that we moved on to my favourite – the slide
board. I did backward lunge slides and a
super set of inner thigh slides (again probably has a more technical name than
that).
Then it was onto the barbell. I did barbell step ups with a superset of
single leg dead lifts.
The penultimate exercise was the low row (at least I think
that’s what it’s called).
Finally, it was the reverse leg press.
It felt really good to get back into it but I wish this
chest pain would go away so I can get back to my actual workout, which is much
harder but much more rewarding.
Friday, 18 May
Another coached S&C session today with Dave, again starting out with a blank sheet of paper. Today's session comprised of:
Y's, W's and T's on the hoops - that probably doesn't mean much to you but they are all exercises which use a good deal of core strength.
Leg press followed by glute raises.
'Landmine' side to side rotations with a superset of 'landmine' squats.
Barbell overhead push ups with swinging weights, followed by single arm rotations.
Single leg sit to stand (very tough!!!).
Saturday, 19 May
We had an impromptu camping trip last night, staying at a campsite in Tosside with a view to going on an early bike ride this morning at Gisburn Forest. The plan was to get there really early so that I could do the blue trail before it got to busy (as I was worried about having a queue of people trying to get past me whilst I clamped my brakes on riding downhill) and then Duncan would ride the red route after I had finished so that one of us was always with Ruby.
The first mile of the trail was like hell on earth! It was just full of tight (to me anyway) switchback berms and I was terrified that I wouldn't get round them and would end up sailing over the top. I really was pathetic and nearly spat my dummy out and went back down. I didn't though and continued which was the best decision as the rest of the route was really nice and enjoyable.
Total distance - 6.5 miles
Other than that, I haven't done a right lot this week. No running at all. I did spent a lot of time on my feet on Sunday though, marshalling the Manchester 10k. It was a long day as we did the half marathon too so were out in the blazing sunshine from 7.30am to 4pm. Great day though, I'd much rather be marshalling it than running it!
Friday, 18 May
Another coached S&C session today with Dave, again starting out with a blank sheet of paper. Today's session comprised of:
Y's, W's and T's on the hoops - that probably doesn't mean much to you but they are all exercises which use a good deal of core strength.
Leg press followed by glute raises.
'Landmine' side to side rotations with a superset of 'landmine' squats.
Barbell overhead push ups with swinging weights, followed by single arm rotations.
Single leg sit to stand (very tough!!!).
Saturday, 19 May
We had an impromptu camping trip last night, staying at a campsite in Tosside with a view to going on an early bike ride this morning at Gisburn Forest. The plan was to get there really early so that I could do the blue trail before it got to busy (as I was worried about having a queue of people trying to get past me whilst I clamped my brakes on riding downhill) and then Duncan would ride the red route after I had finished so that one of us was always with Ruby.
The first mile of the trail was like hell on earth! It was just full of tight (to me anyway) switchback berms and I was terrified that I wouldn't get round them and would end up sailing over the top. I really was pathetic and nearly spat my dummy out and went back down. I didn't though and continued which was the best decision as the rest of the route was really nice and enjoyable.
Total distance - 6.5 miles
Other than that, I haven't done a right lot this week. No running at all. I did spent a lot of time on my feet on Sunday though, marshalling the Manchester 10k. It was a long day as we did the half marathon too so were out in the blazing sunshine from 7.30am to 4pm. Great day though, I'd much rather be marshalling it than running it!
Tuesday 15 May 2018
Week 19 - t'Yorkshire
I didn't get a right lot of exercise done this week, very busy at work and at home. I did a charity gardening day on Wednesday at Seashell Trust in Cheadle Hulme. Does that count as exercise? Funnily enough, my shitbit showed that I did over 15,000 steps that day however I only climbed the equivalent of two, yes two, flights of stairs all day. How flat is it round there!?!?!?! The day before, all I did all day was walk Ruby 1.25 miles and then sit on my bum the rest of the day, yet I still climbed over 30 floors on that day, in only around 7,000 steps. Just shows how hilly it is round here and how flat it is round there.
Thursday, 10 May
Just a quick run this morning, seeing as I haven't done anything all week. Duncan dropped me off at the end of Wallsuches on his way to work and I ran from there alongside the fishing lodges and up through the old quarry onto George's Lane. I then ran along George's Lane, turning left just after the first turning to the Pike and then heading down through the terrace gardens into the Pinetum. I then just ran along to the back of the high school and then home along dog poo alley.
Total running distance - 4 miles
Saturday, 12 May
Yesterday evening, Duncan, Ruby and I travelled up t'Yorkshire to a campsite near Bolton Castle. It was a nice quiet little site and we found a good spot in the corner of the field. I had come up to Yorkshire so that I could do some reccying of A Foot in Two Dales, the 50 mile walk I'm doing in July. I just wanted to see how good the route description is and try out the parts of the route which I will probably be doing in darkness.
This morning I decided to walk the last two sections of the route - section 7 from Thoralby to Gallops and section 8 from Gallops to the event HQ in Harmby.
Section 7 was pretty easy as it was mostly just on a couple of paths which went on for along time without any turn offs, however, right from the start there was a problem with the directions. The directions took you out of Thoralby down a narrow passage, coming out on a road. It says to turn left on the road and then follow with care to Burton Bridge. The problem was that, once I turned left on the road, after a few hundred meters I came to a T-junction which there was no mention of in the directions so I didn't know whether it was left or right from here. I had the route on a GPX on the OS maps app on my phone so I just looked at this and knew I had to go left but this made me immediately wary about the accuracy of the route description. I had doubts anyway, given that the whole 50 mile route is contained within only three A4 sheets whereas that is usually around the amount you would get for a walk half that distance.
The rest of this section went OK though and I arrived at Gallops where there were racehorses all over the show. At Gallops the route takes a bridleway over the common but it isn't terribly clear on the ground in places and the directions suggest using an alternative path if on this section at night which is probably a good idea because the grassy bridleway is full of hoof holes so it could be pretty easy to turn an ankle.
Further on, the directions say: Continue to reach RIVERSIDE by gate through wall. Go through gate and turn right onto track by River Ure. That to me sound like once through the gate you turn right onto the track, however the track is a long way after going through the gate and from the gate to the track you are following a trod which isn't fully clear in places.
I did find that I was checking the GPX on my phone far more than I would have liked as usually with these challenge events, I never have to look at a map at all.
Despite the directions issue, it was a really nice walk on a lovely sunny day so I did enjoy it and that's the main thing.
Duncan then picked me up from Harmby and we spent most of the rest of the day just chilling out in the sunshine.
Total walking distance - 11.5 miles
Sunday, 13 May
We were woken up very early this morning at 4am as our bedding was soaking wet! Having found no leaks or any reason for this, we had to draw the conclusion that Ruby had wet the bed! We're pretty sure she didn't do it on purpose and that it was an accident, the same as a child would. I would have known if she had got up and squatted on the bed because I'm a light sleeper and she also wouldn't have done that, had she needed the loo she would have woke us up to be let out.
So I found myself in the campsite showers at 4.10am and, after that, there was nothing we could do but get up, given our bedding was all wet.
I therefore had an early start for today's recce, which I decided to run this time. I did section 5 (Hardraw to Bainbridge) and section 6 (Bainbridge to Thoralby).
Again I found the directions somewhat sketchy and I had to keep resorting to looking at my GPX route. There is a bit which simply says 'take footpath straight on through fields to road' but the path is again a trod which isn't clear in places and it also splits going in different directions and you can't see the road so don't know which direction to go in and, again, there is no mention of distance so you don't know how far away the road is. With my GPX the route was fine, however I think if anyone is going to do the event without being able to read of map or having GPX, they may get a little lost.
It was supposed to have been raining all day today but it actually turned out to be really warm and sunny with not a drop of rain.
I did have a couple of issues today though, which were due to my general anxiety:
Firstly, I had to go through a couple of fields with cows. Thankfully they were just minding their own business, chilling in the sunshine, but I was still pretty nervous and constantly looking around the fields for the best escape route.
Secondly, stream crossings. There were two of them. My issue with streams isn't getting my feet wet or being swept away, it's slipping and cracking my head on a rock. The bottom of both becks was really slippery and my studded footwear didn't help as there is very little ground contact. Neither beck was leapable (unless you are Greg Rutherford) as they were a few meters wide but the first one was easy as there was a fence thing across it used to stop sheep going through (I'm sure there is an actual name for one of these) so I held onto this to steady myself as it crossed. The second one was much trickier though, for me anyway, my fell running friends would have no issue with it at all. It wasn't fast moving and wasn't deep but as soon as I put one foot on a rock it slipped straight out and had no traction whatsoever. The best thing to do would probably be to just run as quick as possible through having as little contact with the ground as possible but my anxiety stopped that. Instead, after pondering it for a while, I took off my shoes and socks, deciding that I'd have much more grip in bare feet. I was correct, although it wasn't very nice going across rocks in bare feet. I just hope I'm not quite as wimpy on the actual event day!
Duncan picked me up in Thoralby and we then drove over to Hawes and had lunch in a bike café there which was lovely.
After that we drove to Malham and chilled out in the sunshine again, catching up on the sleep we had missed this morning.
Total running distance - 10 miles
Thursday, 10 May
Just a quick run this morning, seeing as I haven't done anything all week. Duncan dropped me off at the end of Wallsuches on his way to work and I ran from there alongside the fishing lodges and up through the old quarry onto George's Lane. I then ran along George's Lane, turning left just after the first turning to the Pike and then heading down through the terrace gardens into the Pinetum. I then just ran along to the back of the high school and then home along dog poo alley.
Total running distance - 4 miles
Saturday, 12 May
Yesterday evening, Duncan, Ruby and I travelled up t'Yorkshire to a campsite near Bolton Castle. It was a nice quiet little site and we found a good spot in the corner of the field. I had come up to Yorkshire so that I could do some reccying of A Foot in Two Dales, the 50 mile walk I'm doing in July. I just wanted to see how good the route description is and try out the parts of the route which I will probably be doing in darkness.
This morning I decided to walk the last two sections of the route - section 7 from Thoralby to Gallops and section 8 from Gallops to the event HQ in Harmby.
Section 7 was pretty easy as it was mostly just on a couple of paths which went on for along time without any turn offs, however, right from the start there was a problem with the directions. The directions took you out of Thoralby down a narrow passage, coming out on a road. It says to turn left on the road and then follow with care to Burton Bridge. The problem was that, once I turned left on the road, after a few hundred meters I came to a T-junction which there was no mention of in the directions so I didn't know whether it was left or right from here. I had the route on a GPX on the OS maps app on my phone so I just looked at this and knew I had to go left but this made me immediately wary about the accuracy of the route description. I had doubts anyway, given that the whole 50 mile route is contained within only three A4 sheets whereas that is usually around the amount you would get for a walk half that distance.
The rest of this section went OK though and I arrived at Gallops where there were racehorses all over the show. At Gallops the route takes a bridleway over the common but it isn't terribly clear on the ground in places and the directions suggest using an alternative path if on this section at night which is probably a good idea because the grassy bridleway is full of hoof holes so it could be pretty easy to turn an ankle.
Further on, the directions say: Continue to reach RIVERSIDE by gate through wall. Go through gate and turn right onto track by River Ure. That to me sound like once through the gate you turn right onto the track, however the track is a long way after going through the gate and from the gate to the track you are following a trod which isn't fully clear in places.
I did find that I was checking the GPX on my phone far more than I would have liked as usually with these challenge events, I never have to look at a map at all.
Despite the directions issue, it was a really nice walk on a lovely sunny day so I did enjoy it and that's the main thing.
Duncan then picked me up from Harmby and we spent most of the rest of the day just chilling out in the sunshine.
Total walking distance - 11.5 miles
Sunday, 13 May
We were woken up very early this morning at 4am as our bedding was soaking wet! Having found no leaks or any reason for this, we had to draw the conclusion that Ruby had wet the bed! We're pretty sure she didn't do it on purpose and that it was an accident, the same as a child would. I would have known if she had got up and squatted on the bed because I'm a light sleeper and she also wouldn't have done that, had she needed the loo she would have woke us up to be let out.
So I found myself in the campsite showers at 4.10am and, after that, there was nothing we could do but get up, given our bedding was all wet.
I therefore had an early start for today's recce, which I decided to run this time. I did section 5 (Hardraw to Bainbridge) and section 6 (Bainbridge to Thoralby).
Again I found the directions somewhat sketchy and I had to keep resorting to looking at my GPX route. There is a bit which simply says 'take footpath straight on through fields to road' but the path is again a trod which isn't clear in places and it also splits going in different directions and you can't see the road so don't know which direction to go in and, again, there is no mention of distance so you don't know how far away the road is. With my GPX the route was fine, however I think if anyone is going to do the event without being able to read of map or having GPX, they may get a little lost.
It was supposed to have been raining all day today but it actually turned out to be really warm and sunny with not a drop of rain.
I did have a couple of issues today though, which were due to my general anxiety:
Firstly, I had to go through a couple of fields with cows. Thankfully they were just minding their own business, chilling in the sunshine, but I was still pretty nervous and constantly looking around the fields for the best escape route.
Secondly, stream crossings. There were two of them. My issue with streams isn't getting my feet wet or being swept away, it's slipping and cracking my head on a rock. The bottom of both becks was really slippery and my studded footwear didn't help as there is very little ground contact. Neither beck was leapable (unless you are Greg Rutherford) as they were a few meters wide but the first one was easy as there was a fence thing across it used to stop sheep going through (I'm sure there is an actual name for one of these) so I held onto this to steady myself as it crossed. The second one was much trickier though, for me anyway, my fell running friends would have no issue with it at all. It wasn't fast moving and wasn't deep but as soon as I put one foot on a rock it slipped straight out and had no traction whatsoever. The best thing to do would probably be to just run as quick as possible through having as little contact with the ground as possible but my anxiety stopped that. Instead, after pondering it for a while, I took off my shoes and socks, deciding that I'd have much more grip in bare feet. I was correct, although it wasn't very nice going across rocks in bare feet. I just hope I'm not quite as wimpy on the actual event day!
Duncan picked me up in Thoralby and we then drove over to Hawes and had lunch in a bike café there which was lovely.
After that we drove to Malham and chilled out in the sunshine again, catching up on the sleep we had missed this morning.
Total running distance - 10 miles
Sunday 6 May 2018
Week 18 - Conquering Shaly Dingle
Tuesday, 1 May
Went for a run first thing this morning but my legs just didn't want to play.
I drove up to Burnt Edge Lane, which I know is cheating as it avoids all the climb at the start but meh! I just like to have a change of scenery rather than plodding up to George's Lane every time.
I ran down past 'haunted house' and along to Holden's Farm. I then turned left and followed the trail, forking right to cross the stream over the bridge and then out onto the mast road. I climbed up to Two Lads then ran down to the water tanks and straight across, crossing the mast road again and back into Smithills Estate. I then went along Burnt Edge and back to the van.
It was really hard work this morning and my legs just couldn't get going. Still, lovely to be out on such a nice morning before work. It really is great living in this neck of the woods.
Total distance - 3 miles
Wednesday, 2 May
Altitude spin tonight with Claire. My word it was a hot one! The sweat was pouring off my nose. It felt really hard work tonight, my legs still struggling.
Friday, 4 May
I managed to get out for a run this morning, even though I didn't think I would have time to. I just did a short one though, going up past Wylderswoode Stud and then turning right onto Brinks Row. Instead of then climbing up to George's Lane I crossed the road and ran down the footpath between some cottages and Harpers Farm, coming out on Foxholes, then crossing over into the memorial forest.
When I came out of the forest I climbed the hill through the old quarry, out onto George's Lane. I then just ran along to Pike Cottage and went home via my favourite field.
The most calories I burned today though were at the rock gig I went to in the evening - The Britrock Must be Destroyed! In an hour of moshing to the Wildehearts I burned nearly 500 calories!
Total distance - 3.1 miles
Sunday, 6 May
What is with the weather lately? On Monday morning I had to scrape ice off my van before leaving for work and now it's beautifully hot and sunny! Utterly bizarre!
Not complaining about the sun though, it's lovely! I went out earlyish this morning with a route already in mind for my run. I wanted to find a decent way out of Shaly Dingle!
From home, I ran up to George's Lane but the soles of my feet were really sore (this happens a lot when I run straight up hill). I sat on a rock at the kissing gate at the bottom of the Two Lads stream climb and gave my feet a bit of a massage, before heading up to Two Lads.
At Two Lads, I then went the off-road route to the mast. By now my feet felt OK as they were now warmed up.
After the mast, I went down to what was the shooting hut then climbed the hill, heading over to 'the secret' reservoir!
It was absolutely stunning this morning in the sunshine and I was tempted to go in for a dip but I refrained - it's probably bloody freezing!
From there, I made my way across Whimberry Hill and Egg Hillock, dropping into Shaly Dingle. Every tine I have been here before, I have either climbed up the horrid bracken to Counting Hill, or have turned around and gone back the way I came, however somebody told me that if you go straight on, eventually you get to a trod which leads over to the San Marino ramp. I thought I'd give it ago, crossing the stream and climbing up the right hand side of the waterfall. This involved a bit of scrambling so I'm not sure whether there is an easier route which I missed however, once I got to the top I did manage to pick up a trod. It was quite easy to follow for the most part but there were bits where it seemed to disappear. After what seemed like a long time I came out onto the San Marino ramp. It wasn't the best route ever as I found it tricky to run in places but it was still nicer than climbing up through the bracken and the best bit about it was that I didn't see a single other person.
I ran up the San Marino ramp then stopped to chat to a couple of mountain bikers for ages at the top.
When I started running again, the soles of my feet were sore, but this time not muscular sore, but friction burn sore. It wasn't too bad though so I carried on regardless, going to the trig point and then down the diagonal, which I haven't done for ages! I really enjoyed it. I've missed this kind of running as I've stuck more to trails recently which is nice but not the same. Once at the bottom, I ran along the lane a bit but then turned off up to Noon Hill. As usual, Noon Hill to the Pike was really boggy, is it ever dry up there?
When I came out of the kissing gate, instead of running along the track to the Pike, I went straight up the steep side, which was met by a 'wow' from a lady who was finding it hard just walking up the proper track. That made me feel really good - I'm not such a crap runner after all!
On the Pike I was met by a bunch of runners who were taking part in the Horwich Triathlon . I ran down off the Pike and along George's Lane, cheering on the competitors as I passed.
When I got to Pike Cottage I intended to turn onto my favourite field but, after stopping to watch some of the race, I saw some familiar faces further along so I ran down to have a chat. It was Lindsey, Maria and Jim.
After a brief chat, I ran back home with Jim via Wilderswood.
Absolutely fantastic run. There was lots of stopping to chat, etc. but I don't care. I ran 10 miles which is the first time I have got into double figures in two years (not including walking). I didn't walk any of the climbs either so I'm really pleased with myself.
Whoooooooop!
Total distance - 10.5 miles
Went for a run first thing this morning but my legs just didn't want to play.
I drove up to Burnt Edge Lane, which I know is cheating as it avoids all the climb at the start but meh! I just like to have a change of scenery rather than plodding up to George's Lane every time.
I ran down past 'haunted house' and along to Holden's Farm. I then turned left and followed the trail, forking right to cross the stream over the bridge and then out onto the mast road. I climbed up to Two Lads then ran down to the water tanks and straight across, crossing the mast road again and back into Smithills Estate. I then went along Burnt Edge and back to the van.
It was really hard work this morning and my legs just couldn't get going. Still, lovely to be out on such a nice morning before work. It really is great living in this neck of the woods.
Total distance - 3 miles
Wednesday, 2 May
Altitude spin tonight with Claire. My word it was a hot one! The sweat was pouring off my nose. It felt really hard work tonight, my legs still struggling.
Friday, 4 May
I managed to get out for a run this morning, even though I didn't think I would have time to. I just did a short one though, going up past Wylderswoode Stud and then turning right onto Brinks Row. Instead of then climbing up to George's Lane I crossed the road and ran down the footpath between some cottages and Harpers Farm, coming out on Foxholes, then crossing over into the memorial forest.
When I came out of the forest I climbed the hill through the old quarry, out onto George's Lane. I then just ran along to Pike Cottage and went home via my favourite field.
The most calories I burned today though were at the rock gig I went to in the evening - The Britrock Must be Destroyed! In an hour of moshing to the Wildehearts I burned nearly 500 calories!
Total distance - 3.1 miles
Sunday, 6 May
What is with the weather lately? On Monday morning I had to scrape ice off my van before leaving for work and now it's beautifully hot and sunny! Utterly bizarre!
Not complaining about the sun though, it's lovely! I went out earlyish this morning with a route already in mind for my run. I wanted to find a decent way out of Shaly Dingle!
From home, I ran up to George's Lane but the soles of my feet were really sore (this happens a lot when I run straight up hill). I sat on a rock at the kissing gate at the bottom of the Two Lads stream climb and gave my feet a bit of a massage, before heading up to Two Lads.
At Two Lads, I then went the off-road route to the mast. By now my feet felt OK as they were now warmed up.
After the mast, I went down to what was the shooting hut then climbed the hill, heading over to 'the secret' reservoir!
It was absolutely stunning this morning in the sunshine and I was tempted to go in for a dip but I refrained - it's probably bloody freezing!
From there, I made my way across Whimberry Hill and Egg Hillock, dropping into Shaly Dingle. Every tine I have been here before, I have either climbed up the horrid bracken to Counting Hill, or have turned around and gone back the way I came, however somebody told me that if you go straight on, eventually you get to a trod which leads over to the San Marino ramp. I thought I'd give it ago, crossing the stream and climbing up the right hand side of the waterfall. This involved a bit of scrambling so I'm not sure whether there is an easier route which I missed however, once I got to the top I did manage to pick up a trod. It was quite easy to follow for the most part but there were bits where it seemed to disappear. After what seemed like a long time I came out onto the San Marino ramp. It wasn't the best route ever as I found it tricky to run in places but it was still nicer than climbing up through the bracken and the best bit about it was that I didn't see a single other person.
I ran up the San Marino ramp then stopped to chat to a couple of mountain bikers for ages at the top.
When I started running again, the soles of my feet were sore, but this time not muscular sore, but friction burn sore. It wasn't too bad though so I carried on regardless, going to the trig point and then down the diagonal, which I haven't done for ages! I really enjoyed it. I've missed this kind of running as I've stuck more to trails recently which is nice but not the same. Once at the bottom, I ran along the lane a bit but then turned off up to Noon Hill. As usual, Noon Hill to the Pike was really boggy, is it ever dry up there?
When I came out of the kissing gate, instead of running along the track to the Pike, I went straight up the steep side, which was met by a 'wow' from a lady who was finding it hard just walking up the proper track. That made me feel really good - I'm not such a crap runner after all!
On the Pike I was met by a bunch of runners who were taking part in the Horwich Triathlon . I ran down off the Pike and along George's Lane, cheering on the competitors as I passed.
When I got to Pike Cottage I intended to turn onto my favourite field but, after stopping to watch some of the race, I saw some familiar faces further along so I ran down to have a chat. It was Lindsey, Maria and Jim.
After a brief chat, I ran back home with Jim via Wilderswood.
Absolutely fantastic run. There was lots of stopping to chat, etc. but I don't care. I ran 10 miles which is the first time I have got into double figures in two years (not including walking). I didn't walk any of the climbs either so I'm really pleased with myself.
Whoooooooop!
Total distance - 10.5 miles
Sunday 29 April 2018
Week 17 - A Whole 20 Miles!!!
Monday, 23 April
I woke up this morning full of energy (what's that all about?) and so I asked Duncan if he would drop me off up the road on his way to work so that I could go for a run but starting from somewhere other than home as I get really bored of running from home all the time.
He dropped me off on George's Lane and I ran up through the quarry. The path here has been changed as I had intended to run up past Armstrongs but they have blocked off the path and put in a new one which takes you across to the slightly overgrown narrow path which I walked Ruby on the other day.
I came out at Burnt Edge and turned right towards 'haunted house', where I then went along the driveway and over to Holden's Farm. I contemplated whether to turn right along to the trespass stone then up to the mast but decided against it as I'm really busy at work so thought it would be best to just start heading home.
I therefore turned left and headed alongside Holden's Plantation, coming out on the mast road then running up to Two Lads.
From Two Lads, I ran down to the kennels then straight across and through my favourite field. I felt like I was flying through there but I was still ten seconds behind my Strava course record, I must have been on fire that day.
It was after my favourite field where I surprised myself as, instead of going straight home, I turned left, running back UP onto George's Lane. I think I just had it in my head that I wanted to run five miles and knew that if I didn't go back up I would be half a mile short. I just ran along George's Lane a short way, turning into Wilderswood and down the broad track through the middle, coming out on Brinks Row. From there it was just straight home.
I love being out at this time in the morning. I didn't pass a single other person in the whole five miles and I felt like I had the entire moors to myself.
Total distance - 5 miles
Wednesday, 25 April
I managed to get out for another run today - shocker! This time Duncan dropped me off outside Rivington and Blackrod School and I ran a short way down Dryfield Lane, then turned off, heading towards Liverpool Castle. I ran along the side of the reservoir out to the prep school, then along to the Bowling Club, turning down the side, heading for Yarrow. I didn't go up to Yarrow Reservoir though, instead turning right downhill to Dean Brook and following this back into Rivington. From there, I took the path which runs alongside the road back to Rivington and Blackrod School, then headed home via dog poo alley.
Total distance - 4.1 miles
Friday, 27 April
ANOTHER run today! This time it was just a gentle one with Ruby. I don't go out with her much these days as she gets tired quite quickly but it was raining today and this seemed to give her more energy. She did really well and stayed by my side most of the time, although I did go quite slowly for her.
We ran along to the school then long the path behind it which heads over to the top barn. When we got to the path crossroads half way along the track, we turned right, along the top of the Pinetum. At the next track junction we again turned right, heading up through the terraced gardens and then turned right onto Roynton Lane, making our way up to George's Lane. From there, we ran along George's Lane then down through Wilderswood home.
It was lovely to be out with Ruby again, especially when she was so full of beans.
Total distance - 4 miles
Saturday, 28 April
I went to the gym this morning to see how I'd get on with a strength and conditioning session. I haven't done any since the beginning of March due to a holiday and then my pulled muscle caused by violent coughing. I knew that I wouldn't be able to do my actual session because a lot of the exercises in that were too intense and would hurt my ribs so I made up my own tamer session. It went well and I'm glad to be getting back into it, even if it isn't the proper session. I had a quick word with the physio there and she said that I shouldn't worry about my ribs yet as it could be another couple of weeks before they're fully healed but if they're not right by then I should think about getting some treatment on them.
Sunday, 29 April
Unbelievable! I got out for yet another run today! I haven't run this much in AGES. I've managed twenty miles this week now. I know that isn't much compared with what I used to do but I haven't run twenty miles in a week for a very long time.
I set out only intending to do around four miles but I soon became obsessed with getting some distance in.
I ran up to George's Lane via Wilderswood to start with, although I did walk a little bit of this as I bumped into Claire walking her dogs and had a natter for a bit.
Once on George's Lane I headed up the stream climb towards Two Lads but turned right at the water tanks, into Smithills Estate. I ran along to Holden's Farm, then turned right and climbed up the hill to 'haunted house'. I came out of the driveway then turned right along to Burnt Edge. I then crossed the path I had come up on and dropped down to the stream crossing with the steps either side of it, running along and out onto the mast road. From there, I went up Two Lads and down to Pike Cottage. Looking at my watch I decided that I now wanted to get six miles in but if I went straight home I'd only manage about 5.5. I therefore decided to turn left along George's Lane and run past Wilderwood Car Park and onto the footpath on the right which goes past the old quarry towards Arcon Village. After the quarry, I turned right down a path and into the Memorial Forest. When I came out of the forest I crossed over Foxholes and onto the adjacent path, coming out on Factory Hill. I then went along Brinks Row and down past Wylderswoode Stud heading home but I then decided that it would be nice to get up to seven miles and to do this I needed to add on a further 0.6 of a mile. Instead of turning right onto dog poo alley and going home, I turned left onto dog poo alley and dropped down, doing a loop at the bottom, back up dog poo alley but when I came back out on Brownlow I realised I would still be 0.1 of a mile short if I carried on home so I ran back up a short while, turned round and ran back down. I was so determined that I would get twenty miles in this week that I was just running around in circles.
I must admit I'm suffering for it now though, as I completely ceasing up. Think I might just lie on the couch all day now.
Total distance - 7 miles
Wednesday, 25 April
I managed to get out for another run today - shocker! This time Duncan dropped me off outside Rivington and Blackrod School and I ran a short way down Dryfield Lane, then turned off, heading towards Liverpool Castle. I ran along the side of the reservoir out to the prep school, then along to the Bowling Club, turning down the side, heading for Yarrow. I didn't go up to Yarrow Reservoir though, instead turning right downhill to Dean Brook and following this back into Rivington. From there, I took the path which runs alongside the road back to Rivington and Blackrod School, then headed home via dog poo alley.
Total distance - 4.1 miles
Friday, 27 April
ANOTHER run today! This time it was just a gentle one with Ruby. I don't go out with her much these days as she gets tired quite quickly but it was raining today and this seemed to give her more energy. She did really well and stayed by my side most of the time, although I did go quite slowly for her.
We ran along to the school then long the path behind it which heads over to the top barn. When we got to the path crossroads half way along the track, we turned right, along the top of the Pinetum. At the next track junction we again turned right, heading up through the terraced gardens and then turned right onto Roynton Lane, making our way up to George's Lane. From there, we ran along George's Lane then down through Wilderswood home.
It was lovely to be out with Ruby again, especially when she was so full of beans.
Total distance - 4 miles
Saturday, 28 April
I went to the gym this morning to see how I'd get on with a strength and conditioning session. I haven't done any since the beginning of March due to a holiday and then my pulled muscle caused by violent coughing. I knew that I wouldn't be able to do my actual session because a lot of the exercises in that were too intense and would hurt my ribs so I made up my own tamer session. It went well and I'm glad to be getting back into it, even if it isn't the proper session. I had a quick word with the physio there and she said that I shouldn't worry about my ribs yet as it could be another couple of weeks before they're fully healed but if they're not right by then I should think about getting some treatment on them.
Sunday, 29 April
Unbelievable! I got out for yet another run today! I haven't run this much in AGES. I've managed twenty miles this week now. I know that isn't much compared with what I used to do but I haven't run twenty miles in a week for a very long time.
I set out only intending to do around four miles but I soon became obsessed with getting some distance in.
I ran up to George's Lane via Wilderswood to start with, although I did walk a little bit of this as I bumped into Claire walking her dogs and had a natter for a bit.
Once on George's Lane I headed up the stream climb towards Two Lads but turned right at the water tanks, into Smithills Estate. I ran along to Holden's Farm, then turned right and climbed up the hill to 'haunted house'. I came out of the driveway then turned right along to Burnt Edge. I then crossed the path I had come up on and dropped down to the stream crossing with the steps either side of it, running along and out onto the mast road. From there, I went up Two Lads and down to Pike Cottage. Looking at my watch I decided that I now wanted to get six miles in but if I went straight home I'd only manage about 5.5. I therefore decided to turn left along George's Lane and run past Wilderwood Car Park and onto the footpath on the right which goes past the old quarry towards Arcon Village. After the quarry, I turned right down a path and into the Memorial Forest. When I came out of the forest I crossed over Foxholes and onto the adjacent path, coming out on Factory Hill. I then went along Brinks Row and down past Wylderswoode Stud heading home but I then decided that it would be nice to get up to seven miles and to do this I needed to add on a further 0.6 of a mile. Instead of turning right onto dog poo alley and going home, I turned left onto dog poo alley and dropped down, doing a loop at the bottom, back up dog poo alley but when I came back out on Brownlow I realised I would still be 0.1 of a mile short if I carried on home so I ran back up a short while, turned round and ran back down. I was so determined that I would get twenty miles in this week that I was just running around in circles.
I must admit I'm suffering for it now though, as I completely ceasing up. Think I might just lie on the couch all day now.
Total distance - 7 miles
Sunday 22 April 2018
Week 16 - Getting Back on it?
After my weekend in the Lakes I had a couple of days of not doing a right lot, other than walking Ruby.
Wednesday, 18 April
Knowing that it was going to be lovely and sunny this evening, I decided to go to the morning altitude spin class so that I could get outside in the evening sunshine.
The morning spin class is easier than the evening one though as there is more rest between the sets, it's still a good workout though, I just don't almost die in it like I do in the evening one.
Tonight was Leo's Duathlon which is a low key Lostock Running Club event. Aa with last year, Josie was borrowing my bike so I rode a mile up the hill to meet her. The problem is, once I got there, I didn't actually want to stop and just wanted to go for a nice bike ride in the sunshine. Ah well, there's always another day.
Whilst the duathlon was taking place, I had a little run up the stream climb to the water tanks and across to the mast road, which is where the transition from bike to run takes place. After that, I ran back down again with a competitor who wasn't sure where she was going.
The first home was Julian, but he's a Horwich RMI athlete and so not eligible for prizes as they are awarded to Lostock athletes only. First lady home was Josie and obviously I took credit for having the winning bike. I think Josie has the bug now as she really enjoyed riding my bike and wants to get one of her own.
After the race, I rode back down with Julian and Sally.
Quite an epic day really as I also took Ruby on a three mile walk before going up to the Duathlon.
Total spin bike distance - 21km
Total walking distance - 3 miles
Total MTB distance - approx. 2 miles
Total running distance - approx. 1 mile
Thursday, 19 April
Total walking distance - 4 miles (classed as longish when it's straight from work and with the length of time Ruby spends stopping and sniffing)
Wednesday, 18 April
Knowing that it was going to be lovely and sunny this evening, I decided to go to the morning altitude spin class so that I could get outside in the evening sunshine.
The morning spin class is easier than the evening one though as there is more rest between the sets, it's still a good workout though, I just don't almost die in it like I do in the evening one.
Tonight was Leo's Duathlon which is a low key Lostock Running Club event. Aa with last year, Josie was borrowing my bike so I rode a mile up the hill to meet her. The problem is, once I got there, I didn't actually want to stop and just wanted to go for a nice bike ride in the sunshine. Ah well, there's always another day.
Whilst the duathlon was taking place, I had a little run up the stream climb to the water tanks and across to the mast road, which is where the transition from bike to run takes place. After that, I ran back down again with a competitor who wasn't sure where she was going.
The first home was Julian, but he's a Horwich RMI athlete and so not eligible for prizes as they are awarded to Lostock athletes only. First lady home was Josie and obviously I took credit for having the winning bike. I think Josie has the bug now as she really enjoyed riding my bike and wants to get one of her own.
After the race, I rode back down with Julian and Sally.
Quite an epic day really as I also took Ruby on a three mile walk before going up to the Duathlon.
Total spin bike distance - 21km
Total walking distance - 3 miles
Total MTB distance - approx. 2 miles
Total running distance - approx. 1 mile
Thursday, 19 April
Tonight I just went for a longish walk with Ruby, again in the sunshine. I can't believe this weather - I was wearing gloves less than a week ago and today I'm wearing suncream!
Total walking distance - 4 miles (classed as longish when it's straight from work and with the length of time Ruby spends stopping and sniffing)
Friday, 20 April
After being stuck in the office all day, I got off the train and, knowing I had running kit in the back of the van, decided to park in the car park by the school at Rivington and go for a short run before getting home to Ruby.
I just ran along to the reservoir then alongside it all the way to the prep school. I then headed to the bottom barn and crossed the road, going up through the woods which run parallel with the lane to the top barn. I came out and then ran along the track which comes out at Rivington and Blackrod School and I then made my way home along dog poo alley.
Once home, I went straight back out again with Ruby and looped my way back to the car park to retrieve the van.
Total run distance - 3.3 miles
Total walk distance - 2 miles
Saturday, 21 April
This morning Duncan and I drove to Chorley to get some shopping and go to Screwfix. Duncan then drove me over to Brinscall and I got onto my mountain bike.
I just wanted an easy ride as my ribs are still not right from my violent coughing attack over four weeks ago so I didn't want to do anything which involved too much core work and I knew the route back from Brinscall was just mildly undulating rather than steep hilly.
I rode along the back alongside the goit and didn't realise that part of this is footpath and cyclists shouldn't be on it. This is an example of where I think that rule is daft. I'm wholly onboard with some footpaths being unsuitable for cyclists - ones which are soft underfoot and so easily eroded, however when it is a compact path like this one, I really don't see any issue as long as you respect other path users.
I rode along to White Coppice then straight across on the track, coming out at Waterman's Cottage. From there, I turned right along the road and then up onto the bridleway through Healey Nab. I'm not a competent enough MTBer to tackle the purpose built MTB trails within Healey Nab so I just stayed on the bridleway, coming out onto Back Lane. I was on the road for a bit now as I turned along Knowsley Lane and then headed up Parson's Bullough Road. I turned off the road at the top of the hill and went along the path by the side of Yarrow Reservoir, coming out at the bowling club.
I then made my way through Rivington and along to the school before heading home.
Later on today, I took Ruby out for a nice walk in the sunshine. We headed up past Wylderswoode Stud but then turned off down Brinks Row, crossing over Factory Hill onto the footpath to Foxholes, then across to the adjacent footpath which goes through the memorial forest. From there, we went up the side of the disused quarry onto George's Lane, then along a bit, climbing up at the Armstrongs Quarry. I haven't been this way in ages so it was nice to have a change of scenery and I prefer this neck of the woods as it is much quieter than Rivington. In fact, despite the beautiful warm sunny weather, I barely saw a soul until I was asked for directions back to Smithills by a couple of ladies near Burnt Edge.
I made my way though the Smithills Estate, coming out onto the mast road and then crossing over and heading for the water tanks. I was looking over at the Pike where I could see tens of people on top, yet where I was and on top of Two Lads, there was nobody.
From the water tanks we just dropped down onto George's Lane and back home via Wilderswood.
Later on today, I took Ruby out for a nice walk in the sunshine. We headed up past Wylderswoode Stud but then turned off down Brinks Row, crossing over Factory Hill onto the footpath to Foxholes, then across to the adjacent footpath which goes through the memorial forest. From there, we went up the side of the disused quarry onto George's Lane, then along a bit, climbing up at the Armstrongs Quarry. I haven't been this way in ages so it was nice to have a change of scenery and I prefer this neck of the woods as it is much quieter than Rivington. In fact, despite the beautiful warm sunny weather, I barely saw a soul until I was asked for directions back to Smithills by a couple of ladies near Burnt Edge.
I made my way though the Smithills Estate, coming out onto the mast road and then crossing over and heading for the water tanks. I was looking over at the Pike where I could see tens of people on top, yet where I was and on top of Two Lads, there was nobody.
From the water tanks we just dropped down onto George's Lane and back home via Wilderswood.
Total MTB distance - 8.75 miles
Total walking distance - 4.25 miles
Total walking distance - 4.25 miles
Monday 16 April 2018
Week 15 - Spring in Lakeland
I STILL have my pulled muscles from violently coughing three weeks ago! Really just want to get back onto the weight training but that's definitely out until the pain stops.
Wednesday, 11 April
Altitude spin tonight. I'm still having to do the standing up bits sitting down because of my ribs but I'm not complaining because it makes the workout even harder as I still use the gears I should be in if I was standing up. It's just good to be able to do something that doesn't cause any pain.
Total 'distance' - 22km
Thursday, 12 April
I went for a 3.5 mile walk with Ruby today, just to test out my new walking boots. I have finally decided that now I'm more of a walker than a runner, I really should have the proper kit but it feels really weird to be wearing heavy boots (the boots themselves aren't actually heavy, just heavy in comparison to wearing fell trainers). I've been wearing them around the office for the past couple of days trying to get used to them before venturing outside in them, rendering them unreturnable, but I decided to bite the bullet tonight and just get out there. They actually felt OK, although I did have to stop to make a couple of lacing adjustments.
I made sure I went both uphill and downhill in them to see how they felt and when I was going downhill I did notice my toes sliding down to the front a bit too much so I had to adjust the laces again and this sorted it out. I'm planning on doing my weekend walking in Ambleside in them but that's going to be a lot more than 3.5 miles so I'd better take a pair of fell shoes too, just in case.
Total walking distance - 3.5 miles
Friday, 13 April
I got the train up to Windermere today and, rather than getting a bus to Amebleside, decided to walk there using part of the Windermere Way.
The route starts by climbing up to Orrest Head. When I did this route last year it was in thick fog and I couldn't see a thing when I got to the Orrest Head viewpoint but today it was a little better. It was still foggy but I could see the lake, unlike last time when I could barely see a few meters ahead.
After Orrest Head, it all started to go wrong. I remember last year the the directions were a little questionable in places but this year it was even worse as some tracks had been messed about with around a farm and a signpost was lying on the ground and so not pointing in the correct directions. I spent about half an hour wandering aimlessly around various farm fields with a huge herd of sheep and lambs following me around (literally only a meter away from me) baaing very loudly as they must have thought I was their feeder. Eventually, I decided to just walk down the farm driveway and by sheer luck ended up coming out exactly where I was supposed to. I am my own worst enemy because I actually had an OS map in my bag but it was raining and I had the rain cover on and I couldn't be bothered messing around trying to find the map. Yeah yeah, rookie mistake - I should have kept the map close to hand. I was in no rush though so it didn't matter how long it took.
The footbridge is still out at Troutbeck so I had to walk the long way round along the road. Once I got onto Robin Lane behind the Post Office, I decided to have a sit down and a bit of flapjack and, whilst sitting on the bench, noticed this stone on the ground in front of me which reads 'TO REMEMBER THE SHEEPDOGS OF TROUTBECK 2006'
Another picture of Lake Windermere (which actually just looks like another cloud), taken from Robin Lane...
Instead of just dropping down into Ambleside, the route goes over Wansfell. I have to say that if I never do that descent from Wansfell into Ambleside again, it won't be the worst thing that could happen. It is a horrible descent and I was actually jealous of all the people going in the opposite direction which, if you know me, is pretty surprising as I much prefer going downhill than uphill. It appeared that I was the only person doing it this way around as it's just not a nice way to go down, especially when it's wet as some of the rocks are pretty slippery.
'View' from the top of Wansfell towards Ambleside...
On arrival in Ambleside I quickly found a cafe where I just intended to get a coffee and a sandwich but then I spotted a cake which I just couldn't resist trying out... Dandelion and Burdock cake!!! It was as tasty as it sounded.
I had booked to stay in a B&B for three nights (yes, I know I own a campervan but I like a bit of luxury now and then!) and it was described as having a 'mountain view'. It certainly did, however with a garden centre obscuring most of it...
Total walking distance - 9 miles
Saturday, 14 April
Breakfast is only served at my B&B between 8.15 and 9.00 but, being an early bird, I was wide awake by 6.30 and wondering what to do with myself so decided to go for a little run up the hill behind the B&B. I didn't actually realise quite how steep a hill it was and I was absolutely knackered just a few minutes in. It climbs up a very narrow lane and then goes into Skelghyll Wood to Jenkin Crag. With the length of time it took me to run up, together with stopping to take a load of piccies, it was soon time to start heading back down for brekkie as I was absolutely starving.
Can you spot the duck shaped topiary?
Total running distance - 2 miles (wow!)
After breakfast I wandered along to Waterhead where I had booked a sit on top kayak for a couple of hours.
It was lovely out on Windermere, so quiet and peaceful (surprising or what!). It felt like I had the whole lake to myself. I went along the river a little bit, although when I could see that it was getting quite shallow I turned around out of fear of becoming 'beached'.
This is the second time I've gone kayaking recently and I really enjoyed it. It's quite tiring though as I'm not used to all the work in the arms. I definitely need to refine my technique as I'm not sure you're supposed to get quite as wet as I did without actually falling in. I also have a lovely blister on my hand from holding the paddle.
Total kayaking distance - 5 miles
I walked back to the B&B along the track I had run over this morning through Skelghyll Woods and, by now, the day was shaping up pretty well...
It was now around noon and I decided to get my shorts on and go out for another walk, this time just a reasonably low level one around Loughrigg. I say low level but it starts with quite a steep road climb out of Ambleside, which is the same way out as Spring in Lakeland will go tomorrow.
The route then drops back down again, coming out at Loughrigg Tarn, which I descended to and sat on a rock to eat my lunch. It would have been rude not to.
Onwards and upwards I continued on the circular route which goes through Loughrigg Terrace which has lovely views across Grasmere to Helm Crag.
I then dropped down to Rydal Water and made my way through Rydal Park back into Ambleside, where I went to yet another cafe for yet another piece of cake, this time sticky chocolate orange cake.
Total walking distance - 7 miles
Action packed day!
Sunday, 15 April
Spring in Lakeland today. This is the fourth time for me on this walk, albeit only the second time officially. I first did the actual challenge walk in 2016 but, about a month later, I did it again with YJ as he wasn't able to take part in the actual event. This was the day that my foot injury flared up big time and YJ had to drive my van back home again because I couldn't press the clutch pedal through the pain. The third time I did it was on my own last year because the event itself was cancelled but I liked it so much that I did it anyway.
When I did the event back in 2016 I ran it, as I did all the LDWA events at that time, but this year I'd just be walking, in my new boots of course which had now done around 19 miles and my feet so far remained pain free.
At the start I saw Albert and Mark who were both taking part in this event for the first time. I knew I wouldn't see them again though as they'd be running it so would finish ages before me and be long gone by the time I got back.
I also saw a lady I recognised from other walks and we had a chat before the start, trying to work out what clothing to wear it was actually quite warm but had been raining and it was tricky to decide what to set off in. I was in shorts but had the zip-off legs in my bag in case it got cold and I had a thermal base layer, a t-shirt and a long sleeved lightweight hoody on, with my tissue paper thin waterproof jacket in my bag.
After a couple of miles, I ended up walking at the same pace as the lady I had been chatting to earlier and we then spent the majority of the rest of the walk together. All was going well until she announced her utter hatred of cats (using the phrase - 'too many cats, not enough recipes'). Ah well, each to their own I suppose.
I always forget how long the section from High Tilberthwaite to Coniston takes. In my head, it's just a climb up and a winding descent down but I always forget about the bit in between which goes on for quite a while. I was ravenous and couldn't wait to get to the checkpoint at Coniston. Once there, I wolfed down a bunch of cheese and pickle sandwiches, plus a couple of cakes and continued on my way, leaving my new walking companion at the checkpoint.
I'm really not very good at taking selfies. I'm not ashamed of that though.
There is a bit in this walk where you come to the end of a lane and have to immediately turn back on yourself down an enclosed path which descends steeply to a car park and then climbs back up again alongside Tom Ghyll up to Tarn Hows. I noticed last time I did the event, and after speaking to others on the event, that a lot of runners tend to miss this bit out, instead staying on the road so they don't have to drop down and back up again. I can't understand this as it's such a pretty section and is part of the route so why miss it out to run along a boring old road?
As I was climbing up Tom Ghyll, a couple of other walkers on the route were coming back down the other way, saying they had made a wrong turn as they had veered off too far from the waterfall and I had nearly done the same thing. I ended up staying with these walkers right to the end, with my earlier companion catching up with us after a short while.
As with all the previous times I have walked this route, the directions for the last section just didn't make sense. I got to where I was supposed to be going, but whether I got there the right way is anyone's guess. It just doesn't add up and I'm not alone in thinking this as my other companions couldn't make head nor tail of it either, nor Mark and Albert.
My clothing choice worked well for me as it was pretty warm and dry, except for the very end when the heavens opened for the final five minutes of the walk but at this point I couldn't be bothered digging out my jacket and just decided to get wet, knowing that I would soon be warm and dry indoors.
As for my boots, they get a big thumbs up. My feet and ankles did feel a little strange and slightly achy in the evening but I'm guessing that's just because they're not used to this type of footwear.
Love this event and will definitely be back again.
Total walking distance - 22.75 miles
Wow, most exercise I've done for ages this week!
Wednesday, 11 April
Altitude spin tonight. I'm still having to do the standing up bits sitting down because of my ribs but I'm not complaining because it makes the workout even harder as I still use the gears I should be in if I was standing up. It's just good to be able to do something that doesn't cause any pain.
Total 'distance' - 22km
Thursday, 12 April
I went for a 3.5 mile walk with Ruby today, just to test out my new walking boots. I have finally decided that now I'm more of a walker than a runner, I really should have the proper kit but it feels really weird to be wearing heavy boots (the boots themselves aren't actually heavy, just heavy in comparison to wearing fell trainers). I've been wearing them around the office for the past couple of days trying to get used to them before venturing outside in them, rendering them unreturnable, but I decided to bite the bullet tonight and just get out there. They actually felt OK, although I did have to stop to make a couple of lacing adjustments.
I made sure I went both uphill and downhill in them to see how they felt and when I was going downhill I did notice my toes sliding down to the front a bit too much so I had to adjust the laces again and this sorted it out. I'm planning on doing my weekend walking in Ambleside in them but that's going to be a lot more than 3.5 miles so I'd better take a pair of fell shoes too, just in case.
Total walking distance - 3.5 miles
Friday, 13 April
I got the train up to Windermere today and, rather than getting a bus to Amebleside, decided to walk there using part of the Windermere Way.
The route starts by climbing up to Orrest Head. When I did this route last year it was in thick fog and I couldn't see a thing when I got to the Orrest Head viewpoint but today it was a little better. It was still foggy but I could see the lake, unlike last time when I could barely see a few meters ahead.
After Orrest Head, it all started to go wrong. I remember last year the the directions were a little questionable in places but this year it was even worse as some tracks had been messed about with around a farm and a signpost was lying on the ground and so not pointing in the correct directions. I spent about half an hour wandering aimlessly around various farm fields with a huge herd of sheep and lambs following me around (literally only a meter away from me) baaing very loudly as they must have thought I was their feeder. Eventually, I decided to just walk down the farm driveway and by sheer luck ended up coming out exactly where I was supposed to. I am my own worst enemy because I actually had an OS map in my bag but it was raining and I had the rain cover on and I couldn't be bothered messing around trying to find the map. Yeah yeah, rookie mistake - I should have kept the map close to hand. I was in no rush though so it didn't matter how long it took.
The footbridge is still out at Troutbeck so I had to walk the long way round along the road. Once I got onto Robin Lane behind the Post Office, I decided to have a sit down and a bit of flapjack and, whilst sitting on the bench, noticed this stone on the ground in front of me which reads 'TO REMEMBER THE SHEEPDOGS OF TROUTBECK 2006'
Another picture of Lake Windermere (which actually just looks like another cloud), taken from Robin Lane...
Instead of just dropping down into Ambleside, the route goes over Wansfell. I have to say that if I never do that descent from Wansfell into Ambleside again, it won't be the worst thing that could happen. It is a horrible descent and I was actually jealous of all the people going in the opposite direction which, if you know me, is pretty surprising as I much prefer going downhill than uphill. It appeared that I was the only person doing it this way around as it's just not a nice way to go down, especially when it's wet as some of the rocks are pretty slippery.
'View' from the top of Wansfell towards Ambleside...
On arrival in Ambleside I quickly found a cafe where I just intended to get a coffee and a sandwich but then I spotted a cake which I just couldn't resist trying out... Dandelion and Burdock cake!!! It was as tasty as it sounded.
I had booked to stay in a B&B for three nights (yes, I know I own a campervan but I like a bit of luxury now and then!) and it was described as having a 'mountain view'. It certainly did, however with a garden centre obscuring most of it...
Total walking distance - 9 miles
Saturday, 14 April
Breakfast is only served at my B&B between 8.15 and 9.00 but, being an early bird, I was wide awake by 6.30 and wondering what to do with myself so decided to go for a little run up the hill behind the B&B. I didn't actually realise quite how steep a hill it was and I was absolutely knackered just a few minutes in. It climbs up a very narrow lane and then goes into Skelghyll Wood to Jenkin Crag. With the length of time it took me to run up, together with stopping to take a load of piccies, it was soon time to start heading back down for brekkie as I was absolutely starving.
Can you spot the duck shaped topiary?
Total running distance - 2 miles (wow!)
After breakfast I wandered along to Waterhead where I had booked a sit on top kayak for a couple of hours.
It was lovely out on Windermere, so quiet and peaceful (surprising or what!). It felt like I had the whole lake to myself. I went along the river a little bit, although when I could see that it was getting quite shallow I turned around out of fear of becoming 'beached'.
This is the second time I've gone kayaking recently and I really enjoyed it. It's quite tiring though as I'm not used to all the work in the arms. I definitely need to refine my technique as I'm not sure you're supposed to get quite as wet as I did without actually falling in. I also have a lovely blister on my hand from holding the paddle.
Total kayaking distance - 5 miles
I walked back to the B&B along the track I had run over this morning through Skelghyll Woods and, by now, the day was shaping up pretty well...
It was now around noon and I decided to get my shorts on and go out for another walk, this time just a reasonably low level one around Loughrigg. I say low level but it starts with quite a steep road climb out of Ambleside, which is the same way out as Spring in Lakeland will go tomorrow.
The route then drops back down again, coming out at Loughrigg Tarn, which I descended to and sat on a rock to eat my lunch. It would have been rude not to.
Onwards and upwards I continued on the circular route which goes through Loughrigg Terrace which has lovely views across Grasmere to Helm Crag.
I then dropped down to Rydal Water and made my way through Rydal Park back into Ambleside, where I went to yet another cafe for yet another piece of cake, this time sticky chocolate orange cake.
Total walking distance - 7 miles
Action packed day!
Sunday, 15 April
Spring in Lakeland today. This is the fourth time for me on this walk, albeit only the second time officially. I first did the actual challenge walk in 2016 but, about a month later, I did it again with YJ as he wasn't able to take part in the actual event. This was the day that my foot injury flared up big time and YJ had to drive my van back home again because I couldn't press the clutch pedal through the pain. The third time I did it was on my own last year because the event itself was cancelled but I liked it so much that I did it anyway.
When I did the event back in 2016 I ran it, as I did all the LDWA events at that time, but this year I'd just be walking, in my new boots of course which had now done around 19 miles and my feet so far remained pain free.
At the start I saw Albert and Mark who were both taking part in this event for the first time. I knew I wouldn't see them again though as they'd be running it so would finish ages before me and be long gone by the time I got back.
I also saw a lady I recognised from other walks and we had a chat before the start, trying to work out what clothing to wear it was actually quite warm but had been raining and it was tricky to decide what to set off in. I was in shorts but had the zip-off legs in my bag in case it got cold and I had a thermal base layer, a t-shirt and a long sleeved lightweight hoody on, with my tissue paper thin waterproof jacket in my bag.
After a couple of miles, I ended up walking at the same pace as the lady I had been chatting to earlier and we then spent the majority of the rest of the walk together. All was going well until she announced her utter hatred of cats (using the phrase - 'too many cats, not enough recipes'). Ah well, each to their own I suppose.
I always forget how long the section from High Tilberthwaite to Coniston takes. In my head, it's just a climb up and a winding descent down but I always forget about the bit in between which goes on for quite a while. I was ravenous and couldn't wait to get to the checkpoint at Coniston. Once there, I wolfed down a bunch of cheese and pickle sandwiches, plus a couple of cakes and continued on my way, leaving my new walking companion at the checkpoint.
I'm really not very good at taking selfies. I'm not ashamed of that though.
There is a bit in this walk where you come to the end of a lane and have to immediately turn back on yourself down an enclosed path which descends steeply to a car park and then climbs back up again alongside Tom Ghyll up to Tarn Hows. I noticed last time I did the event, and after speaking to others on the event, that a lot of runners tend to miss this bit out, instead staying on the road so they don't have to drop down and back up again. I can't understand this as it's such a pretty section and is part of the route so why miss it out to run along a boring old road?
As I was climbing up Tom Ghyll, a couple of other walkers on the route were coming back down the other way, saying they had made a wrong turn as they had veered off too far from the waterfall and I had nearly done the same thing. I ended up staying with these walkers right to the end, with my earlier companion catching up with us after a short while.
As with all the previous times I have walked this route, the directions for the last section just didn't make sense. I got to where I was supposed to be going, but whether I got there the right way is anyone's guess. It just doesn't add up and I'm not alone in thinking this as my other companions couldn't make head nor tail of it either, nor Mark and Albert.
My clothing choice worked well for me as it was pretty warm and dry, except for the very end when the heavens opened for the final five minutes of the walk but at this point I couldn't be bothered digging out my jacket and just decided to get wet, knowing that I would soon be warm and dry indoors.
As for my boots, they get a big thumbs up. My feet and ankles did feel a little strange and slightly achy in the evening but I'm guessing that's just because they're not used to this type of footwear.
Love this event and will definitely be back again.
Total walking distance - 22.75 miles
Wow, most exercise I've done for ages this week!
Tuesday 10 April 2018
Week 14 - A Little Ray of Sunshine
Monday, 2 April
Today I met up with the East Lancs LDWA lot for a group walk, entitled 'A Little Ray of Sunshine'. The title was highly deceptive as the weather was rotten. It was sleety, windy and rainy. Due to the weather, Norman, the walk leader, decided to take a different, more low level route than he had originally planned.
It was a lovely walk, despite the weather, and from the start at Wallsuches we headed over to White Coppice via Anglezarke Reservoir, coming back through Healey Nab.
I love these group walks, everyone is so friendly and it's a good laugh. I just have to get my clothing right! I forget that it isn't as fast moving a walk as when I'm on my own and there is also much more stopping (I tend not to stop but to eat on the go) so I found that I didn't have enough layers on and kept getting cold. As a seasoned walker/runner though, I do carry extra kit in my bag so when we had a lunch stop at White Coppice I put on an extra top and swapped into some dry gloves, which made a world of difference.
Total distance - 14.75 miles
Wednesday, 4 April
Finally got back to an altitude spin class today, however it soon became apparent that my rib pain was being exacerbated. Fortunately, it only hurt when I was doing the standing sections so I did my own thing and stayed sitting for the rest of the session. I actually made the session harder for myself because I still used the same gears as the guys standing were using and it is incredibly hard work sitting down in gears 20+. Good training for mountain biking though!
Friday, 6 April
Another spin class today! Go me! I went to the morning session though and I wasn't half feeling Wednesday's session in my legs still. They felt really heavy. I came alive after about 20 minutes though and had another good session, although I did continue to stay seated during the standing sections. As long as I do this and stay hunched forward, my ribs don't hurt at all.
That's it for this week, unless I can include moshing at a rock gig (Massive Wagons in Glasgow on Sunday night) as exercise?
Today I met up with the East Lancs LDWA lot for a group walk, entitled 'A Little Ray of Sunshine'. The title was highly deceptive as the weather was rotten. It was sleety, windy and rainy. Due to the weather, Norman, the walk leader, decided to take a different, more low level route than he had originally planned.
It was a lovely walk, despite the weather, and from the start at Wallsuches we headed over to White Coppice via Anglezarke Reservoir, coming back through Healey Nab.
I love these group walks, everyone is so friendly and it's a good laugh. I just have to get my clothing right! I forget that it isn't as fast moving a walk as when I'm on my own and there is also much more stopping (I tend not to stop but to eat on the go) so I found that I didn't have enough layers on and kept getting cold. As a seasoned walker/runner though, I do carry extra kit in my bag so when we had a lunch stop at White Coppice I put on an extra top and swapped into some dry gloves, which made a world of difference.
Total distance - 14.75 miles
Wednesday, 4 April
Finally got back to an altitude spin class today, however it soon became apparent that my rib pain was being exacerbated. Fortunately, it only hurt when I was doing the standing sections so I did my own thing and stayed sitting for the rest of the session. I actually made the session harder for myself because I still used the same gears as the guys standing were using and it is incredibly hard work sitting down in gears 20+. Good training for mountain biking though!
Friday, 6 April
Another spin class today! Go me! I went to the morning session though and I wasn't half feeling Wednesday's session in my legs still. They felt really heavy. I came alive after about 20 minutes though and had another good session, although I did continue to stay seated during the standing sections. As long as I do this and stay hunched forward, my ribs don't hurt at all.
That's it for this week, unless I can include moshing at a rock gig (Massive Wagons in Glasgow on Sunday night) as exercise?
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